A Political Post

Let me get this right out of the way: I am a Democrat. I will not try to convert Republicans or berate the beliefs of others... I assume I'll receive the same respect. I tell you I am a Dem up front in case you do not know because I have had a super political week. Last week I decided to order some paraphernalia from the Barack Obama online store. I ordered a hoodie, a Utah Obama pin, and a yard sign. This would probably be a good time to tell you that my father is a staunch, conservative Republican... and we live in the same house. We have a rule (rule #1) that we do not discuss politics. This saves us from numerous fights because we DO NOT agree on most things. In fact calling him a Republican is just a title I can use for him; he says that from time to time they are even too liberal for his taste.

Well my pin and sign came in the mail yesterday (the hoodie is on back order) and I was super excited. I put the sign together and my sister almost broke rule #1 by making a statement about McCain that my father did not appreciate. He started in... to which my sister quickly squashed the fight by telling him she would not fight back. I digress...

So I debated whether to ask if I could put the sign up in the yard. I do not want to assume I can because others live here too. My mother would let me put it up, but I figured since he was already a little hot tempered I would not press my luck. Then I was reminded that if I put the sign in the strip of lawn between our sidewalk and the street he can not say anything because it is not our property, it is an easement from the city. (LOL) For the record, to be respectful, the sign currently is in my room waiting for a time to display it, or I will put it in my car window.

I decided that I needed to become more involved in the election this year because frankly I am tired of how things are right now: the deficit, the economy, the oil prices, etc. I could go on and on. So I signed up to volunteer with the Obama campaign this last week as well.

Well tonight I was sitting playing with my niece and the phone rang. It was a message stating that my Congressman, Jim Matheson, was holding a telephone Town Hall meeting and I could join in. It was great! These Town Hall meetings are a great way for the elected leaders to be able to meet with and answer questions from constituents; the phone Town Hall meetings are a new way of doing this so we still have access to the Elected Official, but he or she does not need to travel on our money. And let me tell you the questions he was asked were not easy ones. I asked a question about what we as average Americans can do who want to be able to own a more energy effective vehicle, such as an electric or hybrid, but can't because they are just too cost prohibitive up front. I think he had some great things to say about what some of the issues are in the country right now and how we can get involved. It energized me to want to do more and really get involved. Congressman Matheson, Utah’s Congressional District 2, by the way, expressed his desire to really be help to his district by doing what we want. So for those who might live in this district, his local office number is 486-1236 and he sends out an e-newsletter also every few weeks, that I have been a subscriber to for a while. The link there will take you to his House of Representatives homepage where you can see what it is he is doing on The Hill and sign up if you want to learn more through his e-newlsetter.

My thought is thus: no matter what party one belongs to, it is important to know what our elected officials are doing. Information is power, and knowing is half the battle (J.I. Joe)