http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r10wx434IA4
Above is the link to a short movie that Hunter helped me make for my Women, Crime and Justice class. I did all of the filming and while he did the editing, I told him how I wanted it to be cut and we worked together on how to put all of it together.
It's interviews that I did with people in downtown Chicago about their perceptions of poverty and also interviews with homeless and the less fortunate.
It's about ten minutes long, but it's very informative and I like it.
Also, I got my absentee ballot and I am stoked to vote.
On another note,
I get to keep him! I'm excited. It's still sinking in.
"First Day Of My Life"
This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don’t know where I am
I don’t know where I’ve been
But I know where I want to go
And so I thought I’d let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home
Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you'd just woke up
And you said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”
So if you want to be with me
With these things there’s no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I’d rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different
I mean I really think you like me
-Bright Eyes
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Well, here goes...
This is the condensed version of the conversation.
We'd been up editing my poverty video for four hours. He likes to edit, so it didn't bother him, but we'd seen the same half an hour of footage over and over. We'd been cutting, erasing, rearranging for what seemed like forever. We had just called it a night; it was 3:30am.
"Hey, I want to talk to you about something."
I was worried.
"Sure, what's up?" I said. My heart started beating a little faster.
"I really like you," he said.
Oh god, I thought, here it comes. He's going to tell me that he doesn't see me that way. My heart was pounding.
He paused.
"I'm not seeing anyone else," he said. "We've had a great few weeks. I was wondering, would you like to make it official?"
I said yes, but my heart didn't stop pounding for awhile after that and the smile still wasn't gone when I woke up this morning.
On a political note, look at this video about voting. It's satirizing the talks that parents always give their teenagers about drugs and drinking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxvHkFLmqRk&eurl=http://www.wwtdd.com/
And look at this one too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn55ZdmBPJ4&feature=user
Also, I made great strides in ballet today. We have to do journals every now and then, and I had like five minutes before I went to class so I just hurriedly typed out a page in stream of consciousness about what goes through my mind during a ballet routine. She LOVED it. She said it was creative and insightful.
All right!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Chicago Love Story
We said goodbye to the warmth last night, heading to the beach for one last night of swimsuit-clad freedom before the cold and ice move in to steal our paradise.
The four of us sat in the sand, shorts and sweatshirts, stretched out on towels, curled up on someone's feet. Flashlights appeared behind us, four police officers stood before us, circling slowly.
"Having a nice night?" they asked.
"Nice enough," I said.
We talked to them for about ten minutes, shooting the breeze. They had just wanted to come harass some college kids and, finding no beer on us, had found us amicable conversation. We talked about their nights, their jobs, our experiences with the police (I left a few instances out, obviously), why we loved the beach, etc. until they spotted some kids on the rocks nearby and decided to go sneak up on them.
Laughing, we bid them farewell.
The "gang-bangers" they had warned us about came up to us and we chatted for a second, exchanging pleasantries.
They went and stood by the water, the four of them, standing out against the gray-blue sky. Eventually, they found other excitement and left us to the lonely beach.
I went out into the water then. It was much colder than it had been even a week previous. I shivered, but there, under the dark sky, pooling clouds and almost full moon, I felt powerful, connected. The water around me was clear, not too deep, and little ripples had been made in the sand that makes up the bottom of the lake. I stood there, letting the waves hit my legs, and I just felt an utter sense of calm come around me and hold me.
Soon enough, my calm was broken by Ian, coming in to join me.
"We won, you know," he said to me.
We have had this on-going competition, me and the boys. It involves going swimming in the lake at ridiculous times of the year. We have not yet gone in October, and us getting our feet wet seems to have counted. I later ruined the surprise and got objections from Hunter, who had not touched the lake, preferring to sit on the shore with Emily.
Our little group stayed there, laughing and talking for two hours, until 2am hit us harder than we had anticipated.
We were approached by another group, boys from Loyola, who told us jokes and generally amused us with their strange tales. Not joking, all of us were laughing at them instead of with them, but it was a good time.
They left and we were alone and then we left, too.
Tonight in film class I watched a movie called "La Haine" or "Hate." It's French and tells the story of opposition between the police and three youths living in the projects. It's a beautiful story with a very sudden, shocking ending and it left me in love with the city I live in. "The world is yours," a billboard reads. One of the young men changes it to read: "The world is ours."
If the world was really mine I would drop out of Loyola and go to film school, but alas, that is not the case.
Instead, I have now. I have these experiences and this apartment and these friends. I won't remember the logic test I have on Thursday. I won't remember the fade of Dr. Pollock's voice that makes me unable to concentrate in social justice. I'll remember the beach, the games, the laughter.
Steve and I were talking today. It's his senior year. He's going to take the GRE in a couple of weeks. He has to go to grad school. One of his friends just told him today that they dropped that off of their life plan and have been experiencing utter bliss since. I told him it was all a precious balance, but that I'd take experience over extra-innings in education any day.
So today, remember something that filled you with an emotion. Any emotion, preferably a beautiful one. Remember feeling powerful, clear, invincible, loved, cherished, wild, or young.
I watched the train rumble by, headed north, as I left the campus today. The beautiful green haven meets the street, filled with cigarette butts and McDonald's cups. All of those things are heaven to me. I'm in love with this city, with its strange noises and even stranger people. I'm in love with the sounds at night, the darkness, the shadows. I'm in love with the lake, the lights, the magic.
Love life.
The four of us sat in the sand, shorts and sweatshirts, stretched out on towels, curled up on someone's feet. Flashlights appeared behind us, four police officers stood before us, circling slowly.
"Having a nice night?" they asked.
"Nice enough," I said.
We talked to them for about ten minutes, shooting the breeze. They had just wanted to come harass some college kids and, finding no beer on us, had found us amicable conversation. We talked about their nights, their jobs, our experiences with the police (I left a few instances out, obviously), why we loved the beach, etc. until they spotted some kids on the rocks nearby and decided to go sneak up on them.
Laughing, we bid them farewell.
The "gang-bangers" they had warned us about came up to us and we chatted for a second, exchanging pleasantries.
They went and stood by the water, the four of them, standing out against the gray-blue sky. Eventually, they found other excitement and left us to the lonely beach.
I went out into the water then. It was much colder than it had been even a week previous. I shivered, but there, under the dark sky, pooling clouds and almost full moon, I felt powerful, connected. The water around me was clear, not too deep, and little ripples had been made in the sand that makes up the bottom of the lake. I stood there, letting the waves hit my legs, and I just felt an utter sense of calm come around me and hold me.
Soon enough, my calm was broken by Ian, coming in to join me.
"We won, you know," he said to me.
We have had this on-going competition, me and the boys. It involves going swimming in the lake at ridiculous times of the year. We have not yet gone in October, and us getting our feet wet seems to have counted. I later ruined the surprise and got objections from Hunter, who had not touched the lake, preferring to sit on the shore with Emily.
Our little group stayed there, laughing and talking for two hours, until 2am hit us harder than we had anticipated.
We were approached by another group, boys from Loyola, who told us jokes and generally amused us with their strange tales. Not joking, all of us were laughing at them instead of with them, but it was a good time.
They left and we were alone and then we left, too.
Tonight in film class I watched a movie called "La Haine" or "Hate." It's French and tells the story of opposition between the police and three youths living in the projects. It's a beautiful story with a very sudden, shocking ending and it left me in love with the city I live in. "The world is yours," a billboard reads. One of the young men changes it to read: "The world is ours."
If the world was really mine I would drop out of Loyola and go to film school, but alas, that is not the case.
Instead, I have now. I have these experiences and this apartment and these friends. I won't remember the logic test I have on Thursday. I won't remember the fade of Dr. Pollock's voice that makes me unable to concentrate in social justice. I'll remember the beach, the games, the laughter.
Steve and I were talking today. It's his senior year. He's going to take the GRE in a couple of weeks. He has to go to grad school. One of his friends just told him today that they dropped that off of their life plan and have been experiencing utter bliss since. I told him it was all a precious balance, but that I'd take experience over extra-innings in education any day.
So today, remember something that filled you with an emotion. Any emotion, preferably a beautiful one. Remember feeling powerful, clear, invincible, loved, cherished, wild, or young.
I watched the train rumble by, headed north, as I left the campus today. The beautiful green haven meets the street, filled with cigarette butts and McDonald's cups. All of those things are heaven to me. I'm in love with this city, with its strange noises and even stranger people. I'm in love with the sounds at night, the darkness, the shadows. I'm in love with the lake, the lights, the magic.
Love life.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Cat
I met him in January of 2007 and spent four beautiful months with him. At night, he would come and cuddle me on the couch; when I couldn't sleep, I would lay my head on his stomach and just listen to him breathe. He played Monopoly with us, moving the hotels around with his paws and sitting in the box. He loved to eat tuna; whenever Emily and I made tuna melts, we would save him some tuna and he would eat it eagerly. He loved his catnip toys. He loved people, loved guitar hero, loved purring and jumping around, loved sneaking into Becky's room to hide under her bed.
He died Saturday night in Missouri. Ryan took him to the cat ER only to find out that he had a blockage that could only be fixed with thousands of dollars of surgery, which wasn't an option, so they decided to put him down because he was in so much pain.
I know you may not like cats, but I loved this guy.
High Speed Chase, just Cat to us, you will be missed.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Rant. Do not read if Republican.
http://whynotobama2008.blogspot.com/
Read this.
Ooh, I am so mad.
I understand why someone would want to be for life, but at the same time, why can't you have a right to choose?
I'm totally pro-choice, but if I ever got pregnant, I would never kill my unborn child. There we go. I am pro-family. I can't wait to have one. I'm excited and I hope that my life takes me in that direction. But at the same time, if a woman doesn't want the child to begin with, but is then forced to keep him or her, life isn't going to be a cakewalk for either of them. The foster homes are full of unwanted children, neglected children, children in need of someone to love. Pro-life families reject the ideas about birth control and have, oh, you know, 17 children and think that they are doing God's will. Selfish, much? How is making an already over-populated planet more populated God's will?
Palin talks about being pro-life and about how she lives it out by having a son with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is remarkably common; it's not like she has an alien child. I am pro-choice, but if I knew that I was going to give birth to a child with Down Syndrome, I would keep it. Seriously, her keeping that child had nothing to do with that. She was pregnant when she got married to her husband; did you know that? Did you know that 8 months after they got married they had their first child? You preach abstinence only education, but does that work? Does that work for anyone? No. Did it work for Sarah Palin? No. Did it work for her daughter? No. You sit there and praise Bristol for getting married and keeping the baby and "doing the right thing" but isn't that against everything you stand for?
Why are gay-rights so wrong? Are your gay friends any less able to raise a child? NO! Statistics prove that gay couples stay together longer than straight couples do. Look at my own family. I was raised in a heterosexual family and it was obviously a broken one. Perhaps had my parents been lesbians or gay, I would have come from a stable home environment. (not that I don't absolutely love my family, trust me, I wouldn't trade it for the world) Why does it matter to you that gay people shouldn't have children? Are they going to make them gay? Attack of the close-minded thinking. Gays don't hurt church attendance. It's not the gays' fault that the heterosexuals stopped going to church.
I think that's all a load of crap. I'm sorry. I met a boy who is openly gay and a beautiful person, yet he suffered gay bashing at the hands of people who think like you who agree with this do. He was beaten for something that he can't control. He had to have reconstructive surgery on his face and eventually had to move out of his town. Is he any less of a person? Why shouldn't he have a child? It's proven that the children of gay parents are no more likely to be homosexual.
Did you wake up one day and choose to be straight? No. Did he choose to be gay? No. Why would anyone choose to be hated by people who consider themselves to be "correct?"
You're wrong.
I bet you don't look Muslims in the eye either. And before you get mad, think a little harder about that question. I cut out an entire paragraph, because I got really passionate and would have offended most of my readers, but I want you to think about the way that you look at people.
Today, I went downtown with Hunter's video camera and interviewed homeless people. I had to bribe them to do it, but I learned a lot. I bought them all lunch and then me and my group (who helped pitch for lunch) sat down with them and interviewed them. What they had to say was not surprising, but it was touching. As soon as the video is edited, I'm going to put it up here. It's for a project, but they were so grateful to have someone to tell their story to. When I asked more affluently dressed people to talk about poverty with me, I was barely acknowledged. I got good response from the youth, but hardly any from anybody else. I was on Michigan Ave, in downtown Chicago, and it was like I didn't even exist to some people. I was laughed at by others.
Do you know who all of those people that I talked to are going to vote for? OBAMA.
Let's look at what else McCain will do. Let's look, because you know, we may not be able to get abortions anymore, but we're going to be in some trouble.
www.BarackObama.com
www.johnmccain.com
I went to a talk held by one of the laypeople who works with the Mary Knoll organization to discuss the upcoming election. They gave us a handout, written by Catholics. I'm going to type the entire thing here for you.
(What comes after every little section was obviously not on the handout.)
Category:
-Dignity Of Work
John McCain- voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. Voted against past bills to increase minimum wage. Opposes the Employee Free Choice Act which would provide workers with greater protection and freedom in organizing unions.
Barack Obama-Voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 and supports indexing future wage increases to inflation. Supports the Employee Free Choice Act, which would provide workers with greater protection and freedom in organizing unions.
Elect an official who doesn't want to raise minimum wage and doesn't want unions? Sounds like an awesome, excellent, abortion free plan to me! (fail, McCain.)
-Economy
McCain- Supports tax cuts for those making more than $250,000, and increasing exemptions for dependants. Would maintain cuts to capital gains tax and cut corporate tax from 35% to 25%.
Obama- Supports tax cuts for the middle class, seniors and the poor by closing corporate tax loopholes. Opposes extending tax cuts for the wealthy. Supports tax code changes to eliminate abusive shelters and streamline the tax system.
hmm...I don't know about you, but I sure as heck am not making more than $250,000 per year. I'm sure those people dig the tax cuts, but trust me, I would too.
-Environment
McCain- Co-authored the Climate Stewardship Act of 2007, which would reduce carbon emission levels to 60% below the 1990 level. In 2005, voted against funding renewable energy and stands requiring 10% of electrical energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. Supported increasing fuel economy to 35 MPG.
Obama- Co-sponsored Climate Stewardship Act of 2007 and supports a stiffer 80% cut in carbon emissions. Supports investing $150 billion over ten years in renewable energy. Co-authored Fuel Economy Reform Act of 2007, calling for a 40 MPG fuel standard. Supports requiring 25% of all energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.
Education
McCain- Supports school competition and vouchers as ways to improve quality of education and give parents a choice in schools. Supports a high tax deduction for Education Savings Accounts and tax-deferred Family Security Accounts for higher education.
Obama- Supports charter schools and increasing teacher pay. Supports increasing Head Start and Early Start funding to over more at-risk children. Supports a $4,000 annual tax credit for higher education.
School competition? Ask any teacher you know and hear what they have to say about that.
Foreign Policy
McCain- Supporting continuing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and eradicating malaria in Africa. Encourages private philanthropy but has no position on the Millennium Development Goals. Supports the development of a missile defense system and supports reducing our nuclear stockpiles.
Obama- Supports funding the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and eradicating malaria in Africa. Supports meeting the US commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. Supports expanding diplomatic corps. Opposes the development of a missile defense system and supports reducing our nuclear stockpiles.
Millennium Development Goals. If you don't know what they are, go and research them. We are halfway through the allotted time, and we have made no significant impact in our progress on them. Ridiculous.
Health Care
McCain- believes cost containment is the best way to expand access to healthcare. Supports tax credits for individuals who purchase their own health insurance and helping states create insurance pools for uninsured or hard to insure individuals.
Obama- Supports reforms that would ensure quality coverage for all. supports tax credits for low- and middle-income households to expand access to health coverage and market reforms to guarantee insurability.
Immigration
McCain- Believes border security is the "first and foremost priority." Co-sponsored 2006 immigration bill providing current immigrants with a path to citizenship that includes learning English and paying fines, strengthening border control and creating guest-worker program that issues visas after proof that a job cannot be filled by a US citizen. Voted to build a fence along the Mexican border.
Obama-Supports a path to citizenship that includes learning English, paying fines and legal protections against worker abuse. Supports expanding and simplifying the immigration process to encourage family reunification and meet demand for jobs employers cannot fill. Voted to build a fence along the Mexican border.
Iraq War
McCain- voted for the war in Iraq and supported the 2007 troop surge. Stated that "I would much rather lose a campaign than lose a war."
Obama- Pledges to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months. Stated in Oct. 2002: "I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war."
wow. In all of the debates, etc. McCain keeps saying that we can win the war. We can't win the war. There was no goal in this war. We are fighting a concept. Terrorism isn't tangible. There is no gain, we are only spreading terror and fear and pain.
Life
McCain- Supports state level abortion bans except for rape, incest and risk to mother's life. In 2005, voted against expanding health services and education to reduce abortions. Supports the death penalty.
Obama- Opposes a federal ban on abortion. In 2005, voted to expand health services and education to reduce unintended pregnancy. Supports guaranteed paid maternity leave. Supports the death penalty but helped pass a law requiring taped confessions in order to reduce wrongful convictions.
hm....so McCain is all about the family but could care less about maternity leave?
Poverty
McCain- Authored legislation that requires HUD to gives abandoned housing units to community organizations. Supports HOME plan to offer federally backed fixed-rate mortgages to sub-prime borrowers in danger of foreclosure.
Obama- Co-sponsored a bill to create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build 1.5 million units over 10 years. Authored legislation to allow those facing foreclosure to refinance with a federal guarantee and reduce mortgage company fraud. Was lead sponsor of the Global Poverty Act, which sets an agenda to cut extreme poverty by half by 2015.
McCain has 12 houses. What more do I need to say?
Material produced by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is an independent, nonpartisan, lay Catholic organization that promotes awareness of Catholic social teaching. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is not affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (thank God).
Think before you vote. Don't just blindly follow the Catholic leaders. Please understand more than just the issue of gays and of abortion. There is so much more at stake here than the fight over genitals and who can do what with what they have. Gross, but so true. Just know that all of our futures depend on this election. I'm not even being melodramatic. Our economy is tanked, our world-wide reputation trashed, our politics laughed at, and worst of all, our infrastructure is in total chaos. College? Grad-school? Is that even going to be possible anymore?
Please. For everyone.
Do the right thing and don't vote right wing.
Ah, sorry about all of that. I know I'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but that's just not the way I fly.
Also, Fruit is the sweetest little brother ever. He's so very protective of me when it comes to boys and everything. He's so excited for me to come visit Greeley and hang out with him and I am sooo excited for him to come chill with me and all of my friends in Chicago. They love him and those who haven't met him can't wait to meet him and we need to make that happen. I appreciate that he's always there to look out for me, even when he's 1,000 miles away.
He's voting for Obama, by the way.
Read this.
Ooh, I am so mad.
I understand why someone would want to be for life, but at the same time, why can't you have a right to choose?
I'm totally pro-choice, but if I ever got pregnant, I would never kill my unborn child. There we go. I am pro-family. I can't wait to have one. I'm excited and I hope that my life takes me in that direction. But at the same time, if a woman doesn't want the child to begin with, but is then forced to keep him or her, life isn't going to be a cakewalk for either of them. The foster homes are full of unwanted children, neglected children, children in need of someone to love. Pro-life families reject the ideas about birth control and have, oh, you know, 17 children and think that they are doing God's will. Selfish, much? How is making an already over-populated planet more populated God's will?
Palin talks about being pro-life and about how she lives it out by having a son with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is remarkably common; it's not like she has an alien child. I am pro-choice, but if I knew that I was going to give birth to a child with Down Syndrome, I would keep it. Seriously, her keeping that child had nothing to do with that. She was pregnant when she got married to her husband; did you know that? Did you know that 8 months after they got married they had their first child? You preach abstinence only education, but does that work? Does that work for anyone? No. Did it work for Sarah Palin? No. Did it work for her daughter? No. You sit there and praise Bristol for getting married and keeping the baby and "doing the right thing" but isn't that against everything you stand for?
Why are gay-rights so wrong? Are your gay friends any less able to raise a child? NO! Statistics prove that gay couples stay together longer than straight couples do. Look at my own family. I was raised in a heterosexual family and it was obviously a broken one. Perhaps had my parents been lesbians or gay, I would have come from a stable home environment. (not that I don't absolutely love my family, trust me, I wouldn't trade it for the world) Why does it matter to you that gay people shouldn't have children? Are they going to make them gay? Attack of the close-minded thinking. Gays don't hurt church attendance. It's not the gays' fault that the heterosexuals stopped going to church.
I think that's all a load of crap. I'm sorry. I met a boy who is openly gay and a beautiful person, yet he suffered gay bashing at the hands of people who think like you who agree with this do. He was beaten for something that he can't control. He had to have reconstructive surgery on his face and eventually had to move out of his town. Is he any less of a person? Why shouldn't he have a child? It's proven that the children of gay parents are no more likely to be homosexual.
Did you wake up one day and choose to be straight? No. Did he choose to be gay? No. Why would anyone choose to be hated by people who consider themselves to be "correct?"
You're wrong.
I bet you don't look Muslims in the eye either. And before you get mad, think a little harder about that question. I cut out an entire paragraph, because I got really passionate and would have offended most of my readers, but I want you to think about the way that you look at people.
Today, I went downtown with Hunter's video camera and interviewed homeless people. I had to bribe them to do it, but I learned a lot. I bought them all lunch and then me and my group (who helped pitch for lunch) sat down with them and interviewed them. What they had to say was not surprising, but it was touching. As soon as the video is edited, I'm going to put it up here. It's for a project, but they were so grateful to have someone to tell their story to. When I asked more affluently dressed people to talk about poverty with me, I was barely acknowledged. I got good response from the youth, but hardly any from anybody else. I was on Michigan Ave, in downtown Chicago, and it was like I didn't even exist to some people. I was laughed at by others.
Do you know who all of those people that I talked to are going to vote for? OBAMA.
Let's look at what else McCain will do. Let's look, because you know, we may not be able to get abortions anymore, but we're going to be in some trouble.
www.BarackObama.com
www.johnmccain.com
I went to a talk held by one of the laypeople who works with the Mary Knoll organization to discuss the upcoming election. They gave us a handout, written by Catholics. I'm going to type the entire thing here for you.
(What comes after every little section was obviously not on the handout.)
Category:
-Dignity Of Work
John McCain- voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. Voted against past bills to increase minimum wage. Opposes the Employee Free Choice Act which would provide workers with greater protection and freedom in organizing unions.
Barack Obama-Voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 and supports indexing future wage increases to inflation. Supports the Employee Free Choice Act, which would provide workers with greater protection and freedom in organizing unions.
Elect an official who doesn't want to raise minimum wage and doesn't want unions? Sounds like an awesome, excellent, abortion free plan to me! (fail, McCain.)
-Economy
McCain- Supports tax cuts for those making more than $250,000, and increasing exemptions for dependants. Would maintain cuts to capital gains tax and cut corporate tax from 35% to 25%.
Obama- Supports tax cuts for the middle class, seniors and the poor by closing corporate tax loopholes. Opposes extending tax cuts for the wealthy. Supports tax code changes to eliminate abusive shelters and streamline the tax system.
hmm...I don't know about you, but I sure as heck am not making more than $250,000 per year. I'm sure those people dig the tax cuts, but trust me, I would too.
-Environment
McCain- Co-authored the Climate Stewardship Act of 2007, which would reduce carbon emission levels to 60% below the 1990 level. In 2005, voted against funding renewable energy and stands requiring 10% of electrical energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. Supported increasing fuel economy to 35 MPG.
Obama- Co-sponsored Climate Stewardship Act of 2007 and supports a stiffer 80% cut in carbon emissions. Supports investing $150 billion over ten years in renewable energy. Co-authored Fuel Economy Reform Act of 2007, calling for a 40 MPG fuel standard. Supports requiring 25% of all energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.
Education
McCain- Supports school competition and vouchers as ways to improve quality of education and give parents a choice in schools. Supports a high tax deduction for Education Savings Accounts and tax-deferred Family Security Accounts for higher education.
Obama- Supports charter schools and increasing teacher pay. Supports increasing Head Start and Early Start funding to over more at-risk children. Supports a $4,000 annual tax credit for higher education.
School competition? Ask any teacher you know and hear what they have to say about that.
Foreign Policy
McCain- Supporting continuing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and eradicating malaria in Africa. Encourages private philanthropy but has no position on the Millennium Development Goals. Supports the development of a missile defense system and supports reducing our nuclear stockpiles.
Obama- Supports funding the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and eradicating malaria in Africa. Supports meeting the US commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. Supports expanding diplomatic corps. Opposes the development of a missile defense system and supports reducing our nuclear stockpiles.
Millennium Development Goals. If you don't know what they are, go and research them. We are halfway through the allotted time, and we have made no significant impact in our progress on them. Ridiculous.
Health Care
McCain- believes cost containment is the best way to expand access to healthcare. Supports tax credits for individuals who purchase their own health insurance and helping states create insurance pools for uninsured or hard to insure individuals.
Obama- Supports reforms that would ensure quality coverage for all. supports tax credits for low- and middle-income households to expand access to health coverage and market reforms to guarantee insurability.
Immigration
McCain- Believes border security is the "first and foremost priority." Co-sponsored 2006 immigration bill providing current immigrants with a path to citizenship that includes learning English and paying fines, strengthening border control and creating guest-worker program that issues visas after proof that a job cannot be filled by a US citizen. Voted to build a fence along the Mexican border.
Obama-Supports a path to citizenship that includes learning English, paying fines and legal protections against worker abuse. Supports expanding and simplifying the immigration process to encourage family reunification and meet demand for jobs employers cannot fill. Voted to build a fence along the Mexican border.
Iraq War
McCain- voted for the war in Iraq and supported the 2007 troop surge. Stated that "I would much rather lose a campaign than lose a war."
Obama- Pledges to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months. Stated in Oct. 2002: "I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war."
wow. In all of the debates, etc. McCain keeps saying that we can win the war. We can't win the war. There was no goal in this war. We are fighting a concept. Terrorism isn't tangible. There is no gain, we are only spreading terror and fear and pain.
Life
McCain- Supports state level abortion bans except for rape, incest and risk to mother's life. In 2005, voted against expanding health services and education to reduce abortions. Supports the death penalty.
Obama- Opposes a federal ban on abortion. In 2005, voted to expand health services and education to reduce unintended pregnancy. Supports guaranteed paid maternity leave. Supports the death penalty but helped pass a law requiring taped confessions in order to reduce wrongful convictions.
hm....so McCain is all about the family but could care less about maternity leave?
Poverty
McCain- Authored legislation that requires HUD to gives abandoned housing units to community organizations. Supports HOME plan to offer federally backed fixed-rate mortgages to sub-prime borrowers in danger of foreclosure.
Obama- Co-sponsored a bill to create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build 1.5 million units over 10 years. Authored legislation to allow those facing foreclosure to refinance with a federal guarantee and reduce mortgage company fraud. Was lead sponsor of the Global Poverty Act, which sets an agenda to cut extreme poverty by half by 2015.
McCain has 12 houses. What more do I need to say?
Material produced by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is an independent, nonpartisan, lay Catholic organization that promotes awareness of Catholic social teaching. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is not affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (thank God).
Think before you vote. Don't just blindly follow the Catholic leaders. Please understand more than just the issue of gays and of abortion. There is so much more at stake here than the fight over genitals and who can do what with what they have. Gross, but so true. Just know that all of our futures depend on this election. I'm not even being melodramatic. Our economy is tanked, our world-wide reputation trashed, our politics laughed at, and worst of all, our infrastructure is in total chaos. College? Grad-school? Is that even going to be possible anymore?
Please. For everyone.
Do the right thing and don't vote right wing.
Ah, sorry about all of that. I know I'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but that's just not the way I fly.
Also, Fruit is the sweetest little brother ever. He's so very protective of me when it comes to boys and everything. He's so excited for me to come visit Greeley and hang out with him and I am sooo excited for him to come chill with me and all of my friends in Chicago. They love him and those who haven't met him can't wait to meet him and we need to make that happen. I appreciate that he's always there to look out for me, even when he's 1,000 miles away.
He's voting for Obama, by the way.
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