Stick to the issues

To my loyal reader out there, yes, I do realize that this is not a transportation posting. I've just seen so much crap flying back and forth between the respective camps of our illustrious Presidential Candidates, that I had to get something off my chest. Stick to the issues. People should be voting on the issues, not on alleged personal indiscretions, or un-substantiated political leanings that may or may not be true, and have NOTHING to do with the issues facing our nation.

I had a great discussion with a friend of mine who first brought this reality to my attention. He talked about how most people don't vote on the issues. More specifically, he talked how most Americans will not analyze issues on the platform, decide which candidate better represents their personal views on issues, and then vote for that candidate.

Instead, they take all the half-truths, here say, and bogus chain e-mails that the each political party, the news media, and their ignorant friends have provided them with, and they base their choice for the leader of our nation on that.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying there shouldn't be negative campaigning. If you want to attack the opponent's voting record, or their stance on a certain issue, that is fine, but stick to the issues.

We have become a politically polarized nation, and I believe the aforementioned crap flinging is at least part of the cause. Political affiliation has become less about a stance on an issue and more about your value as a person. A Democrat in a room full of Republicans is seen as a communist or socialist who hates America. Conversely, a Republican in a room full of Democrats is seen as a gun toting psycho who admires the works of Hitler. Are there members who affiliate themselves with both parties that fall into those categories? Probably, but for the vast majority of Americans, it's not that way. We shouldn't think that is the case.

Hopefully, everyone will vote, but whoever you vote for, Obama or McCain, I hope you vote for them because you feel their policies will make America better, not because you believe some half truth smear campaign perpetrated by the opposing party.