It would be nice to one day live in a world (or at least a country) where everyone could get along, and people could look past differences and love each other for who you are!

Excellent piece by, yes, Cal Thomas

http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2489

It was good, especially this part;

"Here’s another suggestion: focus less on ideology and more on how people can become independent of government. For too long, your party has emphasized misery, failure and government dependency instead of success, fulfillment and self-sufficiency. By spotlighting people who move from dependence to independence, you model and encourage achievement".

That's an opinion he had to include so it wouldn't be published in next month's Rolling Stone

I totally agree. very well written, especially the last paragraph.

"Good luck, God bless and I hope you succeed in the things with which conservatives can agree. And on those things we cannot agree, I at least promise to be more than a naysayer and suggest how they might be done better."

Watching the Inauguration on TV...and saw Walter Mondale!!!! Didn't realize he was still alive. Thought he was about 102 by now.:tro:

they are dancing in kenya . imagine that scene . thankfully michelle o did not dress like erika badu http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scenteds...rykah_Badu.jpg

I agree with DD across the board.

* I hate guns, but taking away LEGAL guns won't stop the killings. The criminals find ways through black markets to procure their weapons of choice. My mom's neighborhood is now wired with "ShotSpotter" (ain't that pleasant :rolleyes: ) which was supposed to slow down the rampant random shootings... it hasn't. These people must either be sent to jail never to return to society or in the case of an actual death, removed (death penalty).

Heres mine.

Dont raise my taxes.
Dont take my tax breaks away.
Dont let our national defense weaken.
Dont take away the freedom of the press , if you dont like what you read or hear dont listen to it or read it.
Dont make union votes known to everyone.
Dont start a civil police , we already have enough police , army , and national guard.
Dont try and make everything and everyone equal.

Ello Elle

if Obama has proved anything
it is that all you have to do to be present-ident is
run

the mother of invention is necessity

I'm not convinced that stem cell reseach is necessary. It isn't illegal just not funded by the government. I would like to draw the line somewhere

I don't believe the government should be anything more than - (off the top of my head)

national defense
weights and measures
and roads

I think that it's fair for seperation of church and state to work both ways.

It already is like that now without the gay marriage and would be the same with gays allowed to get married...

Any church is allowed to refuse to marry anyone... You think a Morman can walk into a Catholic church and get married? Ah dont think so!

it would be the same with gay marriage...

Gays are not looking to bust down church doors and rub our homosexuality in the face of the religious people out there.

We are just looking for equality. Its hard for gay couples, especially with children. God forbid something happens to your partner, then you dont know if you will be able to keep your child... or be in the hospital room with your partner if he/she is ill or injured.

We just want security in our relationships and equal rights!

The Bush administration was very wrong with their views on stem cell research... IMO

I wonder what kind of advancements there would be right now had they not banned federal funding for it.

Its unreal what stem cells do for the equine industry right now. We see stem cells often being used by vets in our claim notes..

I agree. There are some renegade gays out there who absolutely want to prove a point. Of course. Just like there are some renegade Christians out there who want to strip all same-sex couples of ALL benefits, period (or God forbid, as we've seen, want to kill them altogether...though I guess that would kind of fix the benefits thing from the top down, right?! :rolleyes:).I have no problem with the premise listed above, because it's exactly how it is right now, and I am of the thinking that this is mostly a very effective scare tactic used by anti-gay folks to keep people in line, even though it's an almost entirely disingenuous argument.

A good way to get a quick feel of why it's so important, or why civil unions being equal down to the very last drop at the federal level is important, is to take a quick look at health insurance.

Do some quick research (not you Lori, since I assume you're somewhat versed on it). Let's say my company offers Domestic Partner benefits (they do). Take a quick look at the amount of money it will cost you to insure you and your opposite-sex spouse vs. what it will cost me to insure myself and my same-sex Domestic Partner. The premium paid out of my paycheck will be the same...but take a quick dive into figuring out how the deductions for him are taxed and how the contributions my employer makes to HIS premiums are taxed.

Insuring a partner isn't such a sweet sounding deal once you get to the nuts and bolts of how much more expensive it is to do, even if my employer offers it.

Hospital visitation, inheritance, etc -- all important. But putting it in purely monetary terms is usually a good way to start, since there is a very heavy emphasis on taxes and spending for lots of conservatives.

Talk about unfair taxation of someone's money.....I just think there's a lot more to it than people realize. You can't exactly draw that tax break up in a legal document with a partner, like you could visitation rights, etc.

excellent idea.