And the winner is...no one. Obama has been reelected and most people I know are disappointed and disheartened that Romney isn't in the Captain's chair, but the way I see it there isn't much room to move for the President, no matter who is elected. The Senate and the House are in such bipartisan gridlock that I predict the next four years being as stagnant as the last, unless Obama comes up with a way to act without Congress, which is what he's been aiming for the last two years as a result of Republicans blocking his every move. So we might be seeing an increase in executive orders, but the way I see it, the President is just a figurehead. The elite of America and Congress are the ones who really call the shots and we're just along for the ride. I hold firmly to the idea that more power should be given to the states to govern themselves. There is no possible way that those residing in the District of Columbia can effectively govern such a vast nation.
While I'm at it, I have strong feelings about social programs and what they've grown to stand for (i.e. laziness, deceit, and bitter feelings from those of us missing a big chunk of our paychecks) and if my voice were heard, it would call for the federal government to relinquish control of our social programs and give the power to the states. It would take giant ratification and a willingness of the federal government to act more like the parent of a child off at college rather than the parent of a toddler but we need a more hands off approach and a better system of checks, balances, and accountability. And stop the handouts! I have a whole other rant on that.
But on to companies moving their business over-seas. Bottom line, stop crying about it. When CEOs outsource it decreases jobs in America. That's unfortunate. I agree that it's not a very kind thing to do, but the government is not here to enforce kindness. Not their job. When talking politics, this is the debate Felipe and I always have. Yes, the rich should give more to the poor than the rest of us. Yes, CEOs should keep their companies on our soil and encourage job creation. Yes, they should be kind and moral and patriotic. But they all aren't, and it is not the government's job to make them act in kind and moral and patriotic ways, at least not in this respect. Certainly hang the Benedict Arnolds, but to take advantage of cheaper labor is unfortunate for our workforce, but a sound business move (at least in the short term). People should be kind, but not compelled to be kind. Parents of toddlers compel their toddlers to be kind and to clean up after themselves. Parents of 20 year olds have their opinions but step back and let their children live their lives. I think the only recourse that should be taken is that businesses that fire America and hire Asia should be taxed more. That's it. Tax them for all the taxes America would have received from citizen employees should they have kept their citizen employees and make it so the CEOs can't reduce their paychecks to foreign employees as a result, then leave them alone. Moving their company is their choice to make. Seeking cheaper labor is inconsiderate, but America has long since thrown manners out the window. Rant over. Now if you REALLY want to know how I feel about social programs, ask me about my year working for a disability law firm. I can't tell you how many times people would ask for my help with getting disability benefits and then admit they weren't disabled, they just wanted money. I was constantly disgusted with Americans. That experience completely turned me into a cynic about our nation.
In other news, yesterday was the first time in my life I understood the electoral college. If it doesn't make sense to you, check out this article:
http://people.howstuffworks.com/question472.htm. I also now have a better understanding about what happened between Bush and Gore and how upset Gore must have really been.
This election has made me lose faith in our media. Sure facebook and reddit are always what they're going to be. But CNN? Fox? NBC? Come on, what happened? I was ok with Fox until I realized they were so incredibly pro-Romney that they were reporting falsely as well. Two news stations would give two completely polar reports of the same event that I just got disgusted and not a little confused.
And now I'm done. I'm done with the facebook posts, the NPR reports, the doomsayers claiming Obama is the anti-Christ, and ignorant people trying to convince me that Obama has secret concentration camps and a secret civilian army. I'm also done with people telling me how they don't understand why a Mormon wouldn't want to elect a Mormon. Please. Do not elect someone just because they have something in common with you. Yes, Mormons usually practice higher than average standards, but there are plenty of Mormons that I would NOT want in the white house, righteous as they may be. So bah to them, and bah to it all.
