McCain/Palin

I am tired of Gov. Sarah Palin already, and she was introduced to us only two weeks ago. But I have done much reading and listening, to learn everything I can about her, and so she is my topic today. I have learned that she is pro-life, anti-choice and would overturn Roe v wade. She supports abstinence only sex education exclusively. She hunts and can gut a moose. She also hunts predators from airplanes and set bounty on wolves until it was overturned. She rejects man-made causes for global warming and opposes further protections for polar bears. This apparently has more to do with her "energy policy"than anti-environmentalism. She doesn't want any restrictions on drilling and pipeline construction. She has a high popularity rating in her state. She "took on big oil", not to regulate them, but to force them to pay higher taxes to Alaska, money which was dispersed to the citizens to the tune of an additional $1200 per person. That may explain her popularity. She applied for earmarks from the federal government as mayor and as governor. I guess even though Alaska has money to give away, the rest of us should be tapped to pay for their infrastructure. She stands by her foreign policy experience derived from being a neighbor of Russia. After all, in some parts of Alaska, you can see Russia. Her economic policy can be reflected in her actions in Wasilla. She changed the tax structure to lower property taxes and institute a sales tax which includes tax on food. The result was lower taxes for the big box stores and higher taxes for the residents. She cut public services as governor. She seems to have burned bridges in her rise to power, firing two police chiefs, and other city and state officials who held views different from hers. There is the appearance that she demands loyalty of others while showing none for those who helped her along the way. She has exposed some fraud, but has used this action to promote herself. I'm not sure how the title "maverick" fits, because it's not clear if the stands she's taken are for the people of her state or for self promotion. From what I have learned so far, Gov. Palin reminds me of a couple of women I have known. One was an elected school board member, who's conservative, fundamentalist religiosity gave her righteous certitude. She managed to pick fights with the other board members and much of the community, and slow down the business of the school board during her several terms. The other was an elementary school principal I worked with. She did not operate from righteous certitude. In fact she described herself and shallow and materialistic. I enjoyed her honesty and actually liked her. But I spent five years acting as conciliator between her and the staff. She asked me what the staff thought of her. I told her they thought she didn't listen to them. I said, "I have watched you, and I know you hear them. But you don't acknowledge them". Her reply was "I don't think I know how to do that." It's hard to acknowledge the ideas and feelings of others when you're wrapped up in yourself and your own certitude. But after all of this, we are really not voting for Sarah Palin. I continue to believe her nomination was a Republican political stunt, one they will now try to dress up with lipstick. The real choice is John McCain or Barrack Obama. For me the choice is simple. Obama believes in government and all it can offer to its citizens. He understands what it means to be a citizen of the USA and also of the world community. But I know there are many who support John McCain. Why? I am honestly asking. Tell me if you can.