If you know me, I hope you know that I try to be a thoughtful person. I believe in right and wrong. I believe things should be fair. I believe we should look out for people. I am that small business person working my ass off day in and day out, trying to create jobs, trying to create a better life for my kids. And I always call it like I see it.
We have a lot of issues we need to consider this election. Here is how I see them:
Are we better off than we were four years ago?
Hell yes, we are. I was standing in the middle of my office with tears on my face as I was laying off 25 percent of my staff and cutting everyone else down to a four-day work week four years ago. This year, my business has grown 35 percent. I'll take that.
Should rich people pay more taxes than regular people?
Yes, they should. I'm sorry, rich people. It sucks that this great society needs to take a bigger slice of your bigger slice in order to survive. But it's this great society that enables you to have such a big slice, so get over it. I was an economics major. This make-believe story of trickle down economics is bullshit. It was bullshit when Reagan invented it, it was bullshit when Bush Jr. inflated it and it's bullshit today.
Social security and Medicare?
The truth is neither of these candidates has a solution that solves the problem. Romney and Ryan want to chip away at it with a "let's be fiscally responsible" priority. Obama and Biden want to chip away at it with a "let's make sure your grandma doesn't have to eat cat food" priority. I think both are important, but I think the latter needs to come first.
The same perspective on priorities are why the president made Obamacare the first thing he did in his presidency -- because it matters that people have health care and that they don't have to lose everything because they get sick or not be able to get covered because they have a pre-exisiting condition. It matters.
Foreign policy?
Are you kidding me? Mitt is a new Cold War waiting to happen.
Gay marriage?
I believe it was the First Amendment that said our government would be beholden to no religion. I don't give a shit what your religion says. You say you want freedom? Don't tell me what I can and can't do.
Abortion rights?
Ditto.
Some of you will agree with me. Some of you won't. But if you're on the fence, I ask of you, please, think about these things.