Democracy in action.

This week I saw something that I didn’t believe still existed: a good old fashioned debate between two candidates. I am referring to the debate between Angela Engel and Spencer Swalm that was held this week at the Southglen Public Library and sponsored by the Arapahoe High School Young Democrats. Not only was it a breath of fresh air to see candidates have an opportunity to truly explain their positions but it was even more exciting to see the crowd interact with the candidates and respond to their positions.

The event started off fairly calmly with the candidates introducing themselves. Two statements by Mr. Swalm immediately set off my spin alarm: Mr Swalm introduced himself as a “very very conservative Republican” and stated that “immigration was the number one priority of the people of this district”. Luckily, the crowd would have no part of his agenda. When Mr. Swalm started talking about the successful campaign in Iraq and its relatively low cost he was almost booed down from the podium!

The contrast between the two candidates on the issues was clear from the get go:

Education - Mrs. Engel views education as an investment in our state - that having well educated citizens create more jobs, stimulates our economy, and generally helps everyone. Mr Swalm wants school vouchers and wants to “send the schools and unions a message.” Not surprising since Mrs. Engel has been a teacher and Mr Swalm has family/friends who use private schools.

Healthcare - Mrs. Engel values providing proactive healthcare to all our citizens. Mr Swalm wants to “bring you and your doctor closer together.” That sounds like a great plan until he explained that to do that he favored Health Spending accounts where you, the consumer, get to decide if you want to “pay for that next test.” I couldn’t believe he was basically advocating that it would be a good thing if our elderly have to choose between two medications because they don’t have enough money in their account. Again, it isn’t surprising since Mr Swalm sells Health Spending accounts for a living.

But a more fundamental contrast came out during the course of the debate. It is clear that Mrs. Engel’s positions on the issues are the summation of research, discussion and focus groups, and best-of-industry ideas. She was not spouting the party line or simple personal opinions; she had reasons. Mr Swalm on the other hand did not have much to back up his positions besides his own opinion. He used the word “I” a lot. When democracy is supposed to be for the people and by the people, we should really be using the words “we” and “us”. The good news is that the people in the crowd obviously got that distinction.

I encourage everyone to go to the next debate and decide for themselves who should represent US. After all, as Mrs Engel said at the end of her remarks: democracy by the people and for the people requires the people.

I can feel your anger...

Just when you thought you knew all the dirty tricks the republicans could pull - misdirection, spin, slander and they like - they come out and throw all that subtlety to the wind. They start blatantly lying with DISGUSTING and OVERT bullsh!t.

I'm speaking of the revolting sewage released by the NBRA (National Black Republican Association).

Raw Story
A radio advertisement running in Maryland, produced by the National Black Republican Association, has been drawing heat for claiming that Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was really a Republican and that Democrats opposed all civil rights legislation from the 1860's to the 1960's and were responsible for starting the Ku Klux Klan.

Not only does this treat black voters as ignorant but it is full of distortions of history and it smears the legacy of Rev King. They should be ashamed of themselves. It is sickening.

But it once again shows the truth about the Republican Party. These people will do anything to win so that they can grab power. They make empty promises, distort and twist every fact, and blatantly lie. And when they win? What then? They serve their own financial needs at the expense of your family, our economy, our civil rights, and human decency.

You should be angry. You should be disgusted. You should vote these bastards out of office!

Can you go home?

I made the trip home this weekend to take my family back to participate in the local festival: Fiesta. Despite the usual family drama and seeing old friends, it gave me a chance to revisit some of my memories of growing up in Santa Fe. Reminiscing about perfect times and childhood wonder. Invariably I start thinking thoughts about moving home and how great it would be. But then the reality comes drifting back into my head and I remember how much I love good service in restaurants and shops (which you can't seem to get in Santa Fe), how much I hate driving on Cerrilios Road and how scorched the landscape seems after years of drought and devastating bark beetles. It turns out that after 15 years my friends and I have changed. Even if the places are the same, our baggage and collective experience makes us different and that makes things different.

In my mind it seems that reality can never live up the idyllic memories of our childhood. We can't go home because our home never really existed.