Each time I'm snickering (yeah, I snicker) on the couch reading your doociousness, my husband asks me what the heck I'm doing. I usually just telling him that I'm "reading the internet" (how to explain dooce?). After this post, I just had to share with him.

First, Chuck and Coco help us realize that, yes, our dogs are insane (we've got a poop-eater and a female humper too), but at least they have sisters and brothers-in-arms out there.

Second, thanks for putting into words what so many of us are thinking and feeling about the state of our country and this election. Trying to explain to well-meaning (or just mean) relatives that, "Yes, they were able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps in 1972 when a high school education could get you a good job with benefits, but it doesn't work that way for everyone," is exhausting.

Oh, and I secretly think of you as "Doocey" when I'm wondering/checking to see if you have any new posts up. I hope that's okay.

...and now I think my husband is in love with you (or at least your website).

Let's help people. Let's give our money to good a cause. Let us, the people, change the wrongs in the world. But let's not give our money to the goverment to change the world for us.

hey dooce - i don't have the time or patience to read the comments to this, but i'm sure there will be a ton people that want to beat you with a sledge hammer in hopes that you will no longer have a brain. that being said, i want to chime in to say that i have a tremendous respect for you and your family and what you are trying to do and willing to do. you are one of the best writers on the internet and frankly i'm relieved i agree with you most the time. if i didn't, your powerful words would absolutely give me a aneurysm. you hit the ball out of the f*cking ball park, everytime. cheers.

I respect your opinion, despite the fact that most of the commentors here think that I am "uneducated asshole". I never had a question as to what your politics would be...most people our age feel the same way as you.

I have a state university education, that I am still paying for despite working full time while attending - no, I was not able to afford out of state-ivy-league education. I am all for gay-rights (people are people and can do what they want and it takes nothing away from me and my husband), but have some gay friends who think the marriage thing is a stupid political stunt (their words, not mine). We are environmentalist and our business depends on how we treat the land we have worked so hard to have, we won't get another chance with a fresh piece! I believe in global warming and that we should explore alternative energies, but I also know that we (THE WORLD) will not fully turn to alternative energies until we have tapped out the fossil fuels - that is the realist in me - and I think that the U.S. should have more of its own resources than rely on OPEC, but I drive a hybrid so as to help stretch the fuel for as long I can! We pay astronomical rates for health insurance for 4 healthy people and do not get to go to the hospital closest to us because it is not in our "network" but instead have to travel over a 30 minutes to get to our hosptial - but I chose the insurance we have and could change if it I chose to do so. I will be voting for McCain/Pailin because I think it the right thing to do, not only for us, but also for all of the people that are depending on us.

My husband and I own our business. We created an evil corporation so that if someone slipped and fell on our "open to the public property" they could not take our house from us, just our lively hood and our business property. So, I guess I belong to the "coroporate loophole" that will be closed should Obama be elected. We live week to week and month to month and paycheck to paycheck...our employees paychecks and ours. And the amount of payroll taxes that we pay each month is a lot. We cannot afford to offer health care to employees, though we wish we could and some day hope to be able to. If we were required to, we would have to let all of our employees go. I am sure there are a lot of "mom and pop" business that would have to do the same. Heather, do you have employees? Do you know what it is like to have someone else's life, home, happiness and family depend on what you do on a daily basis? I am not judging, I am just asking the question...but I can tell you that it is very stressful and weighs on us heavily. What would we as a country then do with all of the recently unemployeed people in our country? I am asking a serious question. Regardless of where you stand politically, there needs to be common sense and thinking beyond what the canidates say. What are the long term effects going to be?

Why are all of you from other countries here if you think we are so messed up and stupid and unaware of the world around us?

I have another thought...are all the people that say they are going to leave the country if McCain gets elected really going to do that? Because if that were the case, I think it would make for an interesting social experiment. Leave America to the republicans, regardless of race, religion, color, etc...and see what happens! I don't know, but it would be interesting to see. You could all turn out to be exactly right...but I doubt it.

I love that we can have intelligent discourse and agree to disagree, when we both know that we are right ;) It is too bad you can't do that with your family.

thank you for being a daily reminder that there is some rational behavior & thought in the state of utah.

Thank you for that blog. I am a 27 yr old single mother, currently on welfare, food-stamps & living in the projects. Not everyone in my situation is just lazy & doesn't want to work. I volunteer 20 hrs a week @ an elementary school & got to college pt-working on an Associates of science in Nursing. I'm a full time mom, and also go to AA meetings 5 nights a week. I'm doing my best to get back on my feet- I've been sober almost 20 months now. All I want is to give my 1 yr old daughter a good life. If it wasn't for the help I get through the state, I'd probably be working 60 hrs a week at a fast-food joint, struggling check to check, definately not furthering my education...& who would have my daughter? I'm from Mass, but live in KY without any family around. It's just me & her.
I'm still struggling- I live off $450 a month not including the FS- but my daughter doesn't need for anything. But I know once I get through school, we will be ok...

Comment on Friday's blog:

Now why did you have to go and say that about Republicans...AGAIN? Do you think that they do not like sex...or even that some Republicans might be gay..? Common Heather...i expect better from you.

Heather,

You should request of review of Leta's medical records to ensure that the correct diagonis was written down. My son (now eleven) had (has) plagiocephaly. He wore a helmet for several months and still has a flat spot. We have been able to obtain health insurance for him through several job changes and moves.

Someone may have written down the wrong code in her file and the insurance companies may think she has something worse.

well said.

A-fucking-men to that, sister! The RNC has been a circus, a horribly frightening, disgusting, non-reality based, nauseating circus. I think Cindy McCain is really a vampire in disguise.

I didn't realize Leta had plagio. Did she do the helmet, too? People didn't understand why my son wore a helmet for 6 months.

As a Canadian, I know that I could make a shitload more money if I moved to the States. There are many, many reasons that I don't move but #1 is Medicare.

2 years ago I was sick and panicky and didn't know what was wrong with me. I went to my doctor for the second time that week sobbing that I was getting worse. She took pity on me, and told her receptionist to call the specialist one exit down the highway. One hour later I was in his office with a diagnosis, prescription, and a note to stay home for a week to get better. What did all this cost me? $2.
All the doctor visits were free and the private health insurance that I have through my work covered all of my prescription except for $2. And my insurance has a $25/year deductible with 100% coverage. There are some $500 ceilings on some items, but any RX drug is $2. I pay about $800 a year total for my medical, dental, and vision plan. And I cannot believe when I hear about American medical plan prices and the insane deductibles that go with them.

I live in Quebec -- the highest taxed place in North America. I say take my fucking money because I'm never going to worry about going to a doctor when I really need one. Because when I REALLY needed one -- there were there. For FREE!

Don't even get me started about your 6 week maternity leave compared to ours of one year.....

Jamie, you rock! Your post made me cry. John McCain is a hero. That's why his arms don't work!! He was tortured because he actually got out of his house and fought to maintain freedom. Now, liberals, who love thier freedoms (they haven't had to make one sacrifice for), freely make fun of him.
I am so sad to share a country with some people.

Well said.

I am another one of the -apparently few- conservatively minded readers you have and this post leaves me a little unsettled. It is unfortunate when all members of a political party are painted with the same broad stroke, and it's actually a little insulting and unfair when on the receiving end. It is soooooo the right of every individual to express their opinion, obviously one of the greatest rights of being an American. I am just afraid that until we can we all calm down to the point that we can listen to what the other side is saying and work on figuring out ways to make this world a better place for all of us we'll just keep spinning our wheels lost in all the rhetoric, name calling and insults. It's sad things have gotten to this point.

I effing love you.

Heather --

You deserve all of the success that you've attained, and I wish you a long and successful career. I enjoy reading what you write (and your images) daily. My own tiny blogging attempts let me understand in a small way how difficult what you do actually is. Congratulations.

As I've grown older (now a doddering 54), I find that nearly everything in my life is no longer as overwhelmingly black-and-white as it used to be. I can't immediately decide that a person's stand on an issue is immediately 100% wrong, their opinion is 100% evil, and what they say is 100% mean to hurt.

In some part, that's because I've owned businesses, managed companies and projects and boards, and even tried to do good in the non-profit world once or twice. And in that process, I've been pilloried as evil or mean or just completely bad in the process.

I understand that you have very strong feelings about this election. I'm glad there is passion -- that's much better than not caring. But when you exude passion you will collide with the passion of others, unfortunately.

When I read what you wrote, I wished there could be a "Dooce Politics Filter" I could invoke for just a short moment. (I'm one of those awful conservative folks.) But then, I realized I wouldn't be getting the entire experience, and shook it off.

Go ahead and share your passion. We'll deal with it.

I disagree with you on this point. Sarah Palin has more experience than Obama. If he is considered qualified for the top spot on the ticket, Sarah Palin must be considered qualified for the second spot.

Never underestimate the ability of a woman to get a job done. She'll learn, she grow, she'll become even better as she continues down this path.

Obama says he's about change, then he picks Joe Biden longtime Washington insider for his running mate? All his advisers are veteran politicians who have failed to make any progress on issues I care about during their time in Washington (like Nancy Pelosi). How is that change?

Sarah Palin is change. She's the real deal. A working mom with 5 kids, one who is a special needs child, someone I can relate to and understand. I'm thrilled to have a strong trailblazing woman on a national ticket. I welcome the opportunity to support her historic run.

While I disagree with your political view on Palin, please know that I still think you're great and I enjoy your blog very much.

Chiming in to say thank you for articulating the liberal viewpoint so clearly. Though I might, on an intellectual level, understand the conservative mindset, it still repulses me. To not understand something as simple as "paying tax is good for everyone because we're all in this together and not a group of selfish individuals hermetically sealed from the rest of the world" just staggers me. Yes, it can be overwhelming to know that the world is a hard place and sometimes you have to put of doing the things you want to do, or lose money you have earned, just to make things better for everyone, but the cognitive dissonance one would have to endure just to forget about that in order to be relentlessly selfish must be terrible.

Whatever. We shall overcome, and all that. And, as comments are closed on your subsequent post, may I say thank you thank you thank you for posting that Kings Of Leon track. Incredible! Can they top Because Of The Times? If the rest of the new album sounds like that, it's a possibility.

I cried as I read this post, Heather. I live in Vancouver, Canada, and so many people I know are watching this campaign with both hope and dread.

You've expressed our silent screams. How could such a large percentage of the greatest country in the world -- yes, still -- accept the misrepresentations of the Republican party? We know politics is a dirty, mean game -- but this decline into transparent spin is far beyond politics as usual.

Here are a few things we're thinking about:

1) Your current president took you into war on the basis of misrepresentations -- more than 4,000 young Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. The media and public believed what the government told them -- now we know we were lied to, yet we continue to accept the same bait-and-switch tactics from the Republicans.

2) Your economy is teetering on the brink of perhaps the most significant recession since the Depression: why? Many reasons, but foremost, the obsequious approach of the current administration to financial interests.

The fact that McCain is even with Obama in the polls is inexpressibly depressing.

I'm so glad that you broke your politic rule, Heather. It is time that we all stood up and said, We can't take it anymore. And why should we?

Heather,

I am an avid reader and rabid (yes!) fan of your site and will continue to be. Over the summer while temping, I have read almost every post you've made; I have about 50 pages left to go.

I think that you and Jon and Leta and Chuck and Coco (my dog eats his poo too - he also insists on licking my girl dog's lady bits every time she pees, so I win!) are just awesome! I can't imagine what it's like to get angry comments/mail from people criticizing you all the time, especially because you are so right! You are fun and funny and honest and real and all that good shit. Thank you for letting us all into your lives!

ps- sorry for all the exclamation points!!! I get really excited!!!

Heather, your tag line is SO appropriate now with this post..."self absorbed moron" I'm glad you said it first.

and to your readers:
These are the kind of people voting for Obama...the self absorbed morons. The ones who can't think for themselves and need a goverment to do it for them, and need to be spoon fed their mashed up food.

Don't be morons, vote McCain 08

It seems that with so many people, politics is just a self-righteous game called "Our Side/Their Side". Shouldn't we be evolved enough as a species to focus on the big picture and who the best person is for the job based on their integrity? Oh wait, that would be Utopia. I don't like to label myself as Democrat or Republican. That's such a narrow definition. I stand up for what I believe in...sometimes it's more what some would call "liberal" and sometimes it's "conservative". I admit, that I do not have the genetic makeup to comprehend politics very well. But the opinion I do have is that if America can't keep itself safe from the terrorists of the world(in whatever form that may be: Muslim extremeists or our mothers), it won't matter what our other problems are because by that time we'll have regressed to apes ruled by mind control. And the security of this country is the responsibility of all of us. Security is not synonym for "war" or "peace". It's not a liberal or conservative term. It's a universal state achieved by working together. And America is not doing that because we're too busy sticking our tongues out at each other and being RIGHT.

Heather, I adore your website. I completely respect your opinions whether I agree with them or not. This is your yard and you can say whatever you damn well please. Because we live in America. Word.

I'm voting for McCain/Palin and my best friends are Democrats; I'm a cat person and I love Chuck and Coco; and Heather is hilarious and self-reflective and brave; and if we were friends we'd get arrested for excessive profanity and political incorrectness.

If Chuck and Coco were running for office, I'd vote for them. Holla!

I always fall somewhere in the middle on these things. I do not believe that global warming is CAUSED by us, simple science proves this. The polar ice caps are melting on Mars too, because the sun is heating up. We didn't do that. It is also clear that our planet is struggling a bit and it's the only one we've got, so I think we should do everything we can to help it out.

I agree that we should help people who need help. And if raising my taxes would actually go towards helping out a family who needed insurance, I'd be all for it. But raising my taxes is going to go towards growing the government and I don't feel like working to pay other people in Washington. We live pay check to pay check around here and it isn't always easy but at the same time we appreciate what we do have and that we have much more than so many others.

I like your blog, even if I'm voting for McCain.

Just wanted to say, "you rock!"

Yeah, that sounds like a Republican, all right. Threatening to kill Heather just because she stated her opinions on a political race. Funny how Republicans claim to be proud Americans, and yet they don't want to pay to fund America, nor do they want to be governed by America, nor do they follow the Constitution or any American ways of life in allowing freedom of speech or religion (or lack thereof).

In summary, Republicans by their very own values aren't actually Americans at all.

Well said Heather, I couldn't agree with you more!

It must have been a difficult choice to publish this when your family doesn't share your views, I'm continually amazed by your strength.

Thank you for posting this and expressing what so many of us are feeling.

Love the blog, keep the politics in. Things like that make us who we are. :)

We need more blue dots like you in our red states (speaking from the perspective of a blue dot in big, red, Idaho)!

Here, Here, Heather! I agree with you!
And even if I didn't agree with you, I would NOT send you hate-mail. People are well within their right to disagree with you, but to send you anything amounting hate-mail is reprehensible.
I've been surprised at the amount of people I've been able to have intelligent conversations with about the differences between Obama and McCain..However, this might have something to do with being in Grad school where people tend to revel in a well-constructed argument. Though I support Obama, I don't like it when people blindly go on the attack against McCain. That being said, I think what you wrote does constitute a good arguement, and if people haven't thought of those situations you delineated before, hopefully they will now. You're great :)

So, given this comment is probably going to appear on page 379, you probably won't see it. Just in case you do though, here's a page I found on the interwebs which at least lets me get some tears of laughter rather than tears of disbelief from the RNC:-

http://cdn.holytaco.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/mccain_microphone...

Enjoy!

Mike

Thank you, Heather, for voicing what so many of us out there are feeling and experiencing! My family is in the deep red South (a LOT like how you describe Utah), and I very happily relocated to the blue east coast after grad school. Can't even bring up politics anywhere near them, though I usually adore them and most other things Southern. I watched the RNC with smoke coming out of my ears. The depths to which they will use sparkly objects to distract . . . .

I respect everyone's right to have an opinion if they have come to said opinion after thinking things through and making personal decisions after doing so. What I find infuriating is the blind following of anything (a political party, a football team, a favorite brand of toothpaste) just because your parents or other influences did the same before you. Think for yourselves, folks! I know way too many people who affiliate with a political party because that's what their parents did before them.

May I quote The Greatest Band on Earth, Radiohead:
"Are you such a dreamer?
To put the world to rights?"

Yes, I am. Yes, you are, Heather m'dear. Yes, Obama is as well. Anonymous cynics and pessimists be damned.

You go girl!!!

Oh geez.. As usual, democrats tend to be over-emotional drama queens. Just do your part...vote the way you see fit and try not to spontaneously combust because someone disagrees with you. hehe I still love ya!

Heather, you totally rock! I so want to read all 1500+ of your comments. But unfortunately, I don't write a blog and work from home for a living (yet! One can dream...)

Anyway, just wanted to lend my voice to the HELL YEAH side of the comments and e-mails that you are undoubedtly buried with from this post. I cannot wait to take my marker and run my line across my paper ballot to connect the dots to the future of America by voting for Barack Obama. The day seriously cannot come soon enough! I am scared too. Scared that there are too many backwater, closed-minded, right-wing asshats that will get out and vote SOLELY for the cause of preventing an African-American from becoming President. I desperately hope that the people of this country come through for what is right, what is necessary and what is GOOD for this country and the world by NOT voting for McCain!

You go sista! And hang in there with your family. Just remember above all else that you all love each other.

At least, the Republican #2 is more experienced than the Democrat #1.

Oh Bess (#1854) really? So women all have to share the same ONE opinion? Surely you can't be that ignorant.

Just so you can cross check (in case it mattered) My first comment was #1081.
O.k. now I am done.

for you # 1878 - maybe we in the US will get lucky and when the communist loses, he can go to Canada and screw you country up..

I LOVE that they mistakenly showed Walter Reed Middle School instead of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and evidently no one in the campaign noticed. (I'm refraining from making a comment about the fact that McCain hasn't recently supported vets nearly as much as he claims...)

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10033827-56.html

#1848, not sure how you came to the conclusion that the Associated Press isn't a reliable source of news. If this is something about the "liberal media bias," there was actually a study this Spring/Summer which proved the opposite bias in Obama and McCain coverage. (This was reported in the L.A. Times, but conducted by a nonpartisan research center.)

Of course Heather has the right to write what she thinks on her own blog. And of COURSE there will be lots of her readers who agree with her: I would guess that you read at least a few blogs because you identify with the viewpoints of the writer. If commenters agreeing with Heather bothers you so much, then don't read them. The opinions on either side of this divide aren't going anywhere, and calling strangers "morons" isn't going to help anything.

Although I will be a hypocrite and point out: #1856, before you tell someone to get out of America, you might want to learn our grammar first. There's a difference between "your" and "you're." Confusing them will not help an argument.

@ 1829. Kate:

"I pay about $800 a year total for my medical, dental, and vision plan."

Not really. You're paying in advance through your HIGH taxes for care you either do or don't get PLUS the $800 per year that you pay after taxes. Your taxes also pay for people to have health care who don't/won't work or pay taxes. The point? You pay for it anyway.

If you don't go to the doctor all year, does Quebec give you your money back? Nope.

Wake up.

The beauty of having your own website is that you can write about whatever you so choose. And the beauty of free will is that when you navigate to a personal website, are told the topic will be politics but didn't come to read about politics, you can close your browser.

In response to your thoughs and some of the comments I have read:
I suppose that if it can be said that not every American supports the current administration -- that there are Americans who want change -- than it must also be true that not every Republican supports every platform the Republican party stands on. That being said, it seems to me that, in general, the conservative right (and perhaps more accurately today's neo-cons) have an imbalanced view of what they support. Conservatives tend to believe in small government yet they want to decide who you can or cannot marry or what rights a woman has over her own body. They talk about morals, moral obligation, and right to life yet the vast majority of conservatives support the death penalty and still support the war in Iraq. Republican political heads talk about understanding the plight of everyday, middle-income Americans but their promised tax cuts disproportionally benefit the wealthiest of Americans. They call on the trickle effect to support this, but with a growing gap between high income and low income families this effect doesn't appear to be working. They want to cut taxes but remain engaged in war- how does that even work? Never in our history have we cut taxes in wartime. Republican politicians illicit 9/11 every time they talk about Iraq, yet it has been shown, and acknowledged, that Iraq was not responsible for 9/11.

Senator Obama may not have a McCain-long history in the Senate, yet he is one of the most inspiring political figures our country has seen in a very long time and his campaign thusfar demonstrates that individual participation in the democratic process does matter. Palin so easily dismisses his community involvement and activism but isn't that where politics starts? It is the foundation of our country -- the belief that what is does not need to be is always and the idea that you have a hand in shaping your life. I think that Obama has the potential to lead us in a different, better, direction and substantially impact American politics. If it wasn't Obama I would still be voting Democrat but it is nice to have someone you actually believe in.

Lisa? Are you fucking kidding me?

A) Quit being a whore
B) Learn that abortion is NOT birth control
C) Get on some birth control

A group of cells is not your child.

Presumably Sarah Palin's Downs' syndrome baby, Trig, will be benefitting from state insurance and state programs for health and other care. As we know, McCain has been covered by government programs virtually his entire life. So this conservative theme seems a tad hypocritical.

So I know there are over 1000 comments here and I'm not even going to pretend that I read any of them. I just wanted to say thank you for writing what you did. Did you know I was a republican until I moved to Idaho, had two kids and then my husband left me? That's when I realized that the republican party doesn't give a shit about me and my children. It sickens me to have to struggle working a minimum wage job, fight with Health and Welfare every month just to keep my girls on Medicaid...because I so can't afford health insurance on my own and their father would rather rot in jail than help me out...sigh.
Anyway, I see friends going through similar struggles just over the boarder in Washington and see that their democratic state helps so much more, though still not enough and that was that. I switched sides fast. Now I'm for Obama all the way. I just pray change happens soon so I can get my girls into college so they don't have to struggle like their mom, and their grandma, and their great-grandma. Okay, I'm ranting here, but thank you Heather. Thank you.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Not even close, actually. Palin should honestly stick to tiara's and moose. Can it really be possible to disgrace this country even more than what the past 8 years have accomplished??? Ugh... YOU ROCK, GIRL! Keep expressing yourself. We are all entitled to opinions.

Death threats?

Ms. Armstrong's right to pronounce her ignorant, thoughtless and disrespectful opinions is them is as sacred as mine to share my own brilliant formulations of wit and American history.

Anyone trying to scare her of these idiocies doesn't understand this country. They ought to be locked up. Absent the timely intervention of the law's officers, they should meet whatever physical force required to assure Ms. Armstrong of her perfect safety to continue her parrot-like repetition of the latest talking points from the Daily Kos.

In deep extremis, I'm prepared to shoot these bastards and all like them, not that I imagine these pusillanimous cretins would ever push things so far. We should all be. No doubt Ms. Armstrong would, in between shotgun blasts, berate our extremism and explain that the Second Amendment doesn't allow us to defend our own rights -- she's just that annoying. And she'd probably complain that the retorts are displacing the laser-leveled pictures on the wall.

But the First Amendment is for everyone, no matter how irritating or unappreciative. Anyone who doesn't understand that isn't just ignorant, they're dangerous.

Good for you, Heather.

Thanks for putting your thoughts out there.

The Republican ticket, not to mention the policy vacuum of the party, would be laughable if the stakes weren't so high.

In reply to:

"But what about the family who cannot afford that insurance for their child? The family who can barely make rent, and if they stretch the budget they can eat three meals a day all week, let's hope nothing bad happens to their kids because then they're screwed. Kids, go hug your father, he's off to one of his three jobs, none of which provide him insurance. And it's not because he's lazy or unwilling to work, it's that his family couldn't afford to send him to college, or he came from a family that didn't know they should encourage him to go to college because they were busy trying to survive."

That man should move his family to Atkinson, Nebraska, where he can work for double minimum wage without a college education of any kind at a job that does provide health insurance, can support his family with one job, will pay $2.25/hour for childcare, and he can grow a garden and get a hunting license to supplement the groceries he has to buy. With the local economic development programs he can afford to buy the house he cannot afford to rent elsewhere.

That man needs someone to help him see outside of the box.

My family couldn't afford to send me or my three siblings to college - work, Government Pell grants, and student loans got me through.

Okay, Heather, I linked to your post and wrote about it myself. Living DEEP in GOP country, I am sure I will get the hate mail, too. So, where's that valium you are talking about in your newest post? LOL

@Michelle, I went to a state college and it wasn't subsidized for me and I lived by myself on a waitress salary, which paid my bills (albeit barely). Several of my friends went back to school after having kids. A few got subsidized, but not all of them. The PELL Grant funding has been cut significantly.

What? I am so completely appalled that plagiocephaly has that kind of impact on Leta's insurance eligibility! It's basically entirely cosmetic (which psychosocial implications if it's really noticeable, but that's another story.) If an insurer doesn't want to fund treatment to affect her skull shape, that would be one thing, but to completely disqualify her from private insurance until she's 13 is completely ridiculous.

I have to agree with some of the other commenters. If I want to be charitable, I will be. But don't force me to be. Since when is it the government's right to take MY money to give to other people. I'll be charitable when I can afford it. The fact that the government is willing to place an undue burden on my family to make someone else's life a little bit better is gut wrenching. It really, really is.

I totally understand that there are many people out there who have it much, much harder than I do. But my family will always come before someone else's family, but apparently the obama campaign doesn't want that to happen.

Amen sister..........Go Obama.

Oooohhhh thank you, thank you, thank you. It actually scares me to think that we could end up with 4 more years of what we've been dealing with.

Well put.

I'm an American now living in Canada. What scares me most about my country of birth is not that the public is lied to by politicians. But that the culture seems to have changed in such a way that such blatant manipulation can pass. Can even be embraced and rallied around.

Where did all the integrity go?

Word to the wise: Don't move to Canada for health care. Or for politics. You'll find yourself terminally bored, on your deathbed, wishing Palin could come up north just for the sheer painstaking lack of debate on anything. Even rhetoric would be fine as a start. Re. Healthcare--do some research. Move to Europe if that's what you want (I understand the American system is broken, too.) But the Canadian system is not doing well. (If you are coming to Canada for health care, at least watch The Barbarian Invasions first.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Barbarian_Invasions

Amen sister! She is pathetic and watching the Repugnant party twist themselves into pretzels to claim otherwise is maddening. Hey, my mother's name is Leta. I have never seen anyone else spell it like she does! I have a child with one kidney, so I totally get the uninsurable part! Keep up the good work!

Hi Heather,
I don't believe I have commented on your blog yet, (though I have been silently enjoying it for almost a year now).

I have never been more interested in a presidential campaign in my life.
Never before have we seen such a huge divide between parties and their opinions, plans, beliefs, etc.

It's like crack, watching each speech, reading each newstory, seeing what's gonna happen next. It's one jaw dropping thing after another.

I think it's about time, no matter what your stance may be, that people are actually discussing policies, and what matters to them, and what should matter to this country.
Such Passion! Never have I heard such widespread passion for National Issues in this country!

For too long, it seems like much of the population has been leaving it up to the politically active. This year will have record breaking turnouts at the polls.

I just hope that everyone- yes EVERYONE goes and votes. Even the angry people, the extremely liberal, and the extremely conservative. Voice your opinion! Just make sure it's YOUR opinion and not someone else's view.

Thanks Heather,
I just wish I had enough guts to post my political opinions on my blog, though I would just be outraging maybe 2 out of the 7 readers. Ha!

Thanks again,
and do not censor yourself.

Like Dr. Seuss said:
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

-Jess

Re: 1852 - I agree completely! I was sitting in front of the TV last night watching all the shiny happy faces and I thought, what the fuck am I going to do if these dumbasses actually get elected?

I'd "get the fuck out" (@1856) if I could, but um. . . that's just moronic.

Bulldog:

"At least, the Republican #2 is more experienced than the Democrat #1."

The Republican #2 had 9 years of experience in local government of a town with a population of only 6 thousand people. She had a year of experience as a governor. Prior to her career in politics, she was a sports broadcaster.

The Democratic #1 had 7 years of experience as a state legislator and 3 years of experience in the federal goverment. Prior to his career in politics, he was a laywer.

So technically, the Republican #2 was in politics for ONE YEAR longer than the Democratic #1, but that year could be discounted by her having to learn legal ropes that the Democratic #1 already had under his belt.

Plus she's had zero years' experience with the federal government. As for governing on the local level: I grew up in a town as small as hers, and I saw the people who worked in the local goverment. I would only consider ONE of the people there to be experienced enough to handle being a vice president, and he doesn't want that job.

"Experience" can be counted in more than just years, you know.

Amen. Our blog has been filled with the same type of posts recently. Props to you for putting the truth out there.

Yes, a-effin'men. I'm neither Rep. nor Dem.; I go by the issues and the best candidate (or the least evil one?). In the high possibility that McCain won't serve full term, his VP pick was essential...

A friend sent the link to your post today, because yesterday I'd sent info to some friends about Palin's handling of Alaskan wolves (which is not priority #1, but yes, it's up there), among other things. I apologized profusely in advance, hesitant to say anything in order to save my relationships- seems everyone's bowing down to McCain/Palin. I jump for joy knowing my friend is not one of the pod people-I am not alone after all. Try living in Arizona right now... It's frightening.

You have expressed my feelings exactly. Today is my first reading of your post; it will definitely not be the last.

I posted earlier #1851. I just wanted to say one more thing...or two: Everybody here has a homework assignment. Read "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. Because all the egos up in here are needing some Haldol or something.

At the risk of sounding all "woo-wooish", life is contrast and we signed up for it. Without the RIGHT, we wouldn't know what LEFT is and vice versa. The push and pull between opposites is what keeps us evolving(I used that word already in #1851, sorry). If there was no evil, we wouldn't know how to strive for good. And superheroes would be unemployed.

I think people need to rein in their pride/egos and stop being jerks. The comments here that resort to name-calling are just plain immature and do nobody any good. Effective change begins with mutual respect. Being as humans are high on the food chain and capable of comprehensive thought patterns, why not utilize those qualities and practice self-control, diplomacy, and r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Let us have HEALHTY DEBATE, not self-righteous arguing. Name calling and belittling epitomizes low IQ and lack of logical and critical thinking skills, and social skills.

I have issues with some of the candidates, but I don't feel the need to be a screaming diva about it because some people don't see things my way. Both sides are guilty of behaving like jerks. Just stop already. It's divisive.

Judging by so many of these volatile comments, maybe our MODERN country isn't ready for a woman OR a black man to be in the White House. Then again, it's said that conflict paves the way for change. Bottom line, either a woman or a black man will be in the White House...for the FIRST TIME in our HISTORY. That's progress no matter what party you're affiliated with and we should all look at either one being a victory for the progression of human rights. It's a direct sign of the direction that human consciousness is going. And it's for the better. More woo-wooness: I think we're right on track for 2012...the end of a human cycle according to the Mayan calender. 26,000 years.

In the end we are all on the same side. Those who accuse others of not being American because they're Republican or Democrat...shame on you.

Now, let's all get drunk.

P.S. Chuck for President

Yea, she is a fucking righ-wing trogdolyte bitch whore asshole. We can see right through this fucking bullshit from the Nazi-fucking loving Repungantlincans. Pieces of fucking shit!!!

Nobody could have said this better. Ever since Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, I've had an icky feeling. You've just verbalized that feeling.

Thank you for your honesty.

Hey Jennine (@ 1886),

What dooce has, it's called an opinion. And guess what, we're all entitled to them. If you want to boycott the blog, you're obviously not a person who feels people should have an opinion.

Oh, and while you're at it, you might want to stay away from all blogs, because that's pretty much what people do with their blogs, you know . . . express an opinion.

Another thing, I'm an ad clicker too. Guess that means you won't want to my ad clicker club. So sad . . .

Thank you for taking the time to articulate this. I can only write rants where one sentence morphs into the next because my brain is moving much faster than my fingers can type.

I'm making phone calls on behalf of Obama this weekend. It's easy to sign up: www.mybarackobama.com.

#1914 Agent Scully: I remember thinking in all my political conversations while living in Europe (right before the start of the Iraq War, at that), "Wait... why are these Europeans familiar with so many more facets and people in American politics than I am?" I changed my depth of American political knowledge after that particular revelation!

I think it's interesting that Heather/Dooce is getting flack from so many commenters from writing about this at all. "Oh Heather, I wish you hadn't written this," or "Why did you have to go and do that? Now I won't be back" are scattered all throughout these comments. Not reading Dooce daily, and certainly not reading the comments often, I'd be interested to know if this is par for course, or if this is a particularly irrationality-provoking issue? Oh, wait. I think I already know the answer to that.

As for the "If you don't like it you can get out" comments? We love this country as much as you. We just have different hopes for it. That doesn't mean you can sweep us out the door. So it seems we're all stuck together, and had better figure out a real, productive dialogue.

Heather, you're fucking awesome. Palin is a joke and your post was perfect. I too keep asking myself - seriously? seriously...that's the best the can do?

INSULTED. That is how you made me feel. And I'm contributing to your wealth, Dooce, by reading your blog?
Not any more!!
You have a right to express your opinion but for Christ's sake - do it respectfully! Don't insult me because I don't think like you do!
Lemme go pay my money to someone else!! See ya!!

The huge percentage of Americans who are capable of forgetting our own SHORT history is astounding to me. Capitalism Works? From what great and storied history could we draw that lesson? In America, "Capitalism" has only been "at work" in it's current form for less than a century (before then, it's not fair to call Capitalism what was actually wealth at the expense of human lives in the form of slavery). And look at what's happened in that century: civil rights, children's rights, women's rights, two world wars... huge HUGE social change that frankly interferes with our ever determining whether Capitalism alone "works".

Capitalism doesn't work. Older and wiser countries are already heading towards more Socialist public strategies, and if America weren't so damn full of selfish fools.

Thank you thank you for stating your opinion.

Throwing in my $.02 as a single mom of 2 who is doing well now financially but at one point was eligible for and received Healthy Kids medical coverage (i.e. the government healthcare program for the poor in CA) for my kiddos because I wasn't making enough to buy my own. It was a bureaucratic hassle but I was thankful to have it.

I have this secret wish and it is, that no one be allowed to vote until they have taken, and done well in, a college-level Economics course. Unless one has at least a basic understanding of money and finance, one isn't qualified to vote on issues that involve money or finance, nor comment on them. I'm not saying that I want to eliminate anyone from voting. What I'm saying is that I want everyone to take the class.

It's so hard to glean out any real facts with the emotional but fact-free diatribes that you read everywhere (including, most definitely, this website).

I don't normally discuss politics, because my blood pressure also rises within 5 feet of ignorance. But,I just have to say that I more than resent the fact that the money I pay in taxes goes to buy bombs that kill people. That infuriates me. Wouldn't we all rather have our money going to *help* people rather than *kill*? If not, then there's something fundamentally wrong.

A person in Wasilla who knows Sarah Palin well. If this gets out and has an impact that would be very good. This makes defending her for the sake of defending her and her nice photos look really silly.
--------------------------------------
Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
*"Hockey mom": true for a few years.

*"PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since.

*"NRA supporter": absolutely true

*social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).

*pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to promote it.

*"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation

*"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.

*political maverick: not at all

*gutsy: absolutely!

*open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.

*has a developed philosophy of public policy: no

*"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.

*fiscal conservative: not by my definition!

*pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.

*pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents

*pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history.

*pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny + Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor) from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

Anne Kilkenny
August 31, 2008
- Show quoted text -

As a hopeful Obama supporter, I have been chagrined at the buzz the nomination of Palin has generated for the GOP.

However, it has occurred to me based on my own life as a working mom that I don't really need worry. The women of the right will shortly step in and rip her to shreds themselves. Because she's a working mom.

The best strategy for the left is to do nothing and let the Mommy Wars take her down.

I'm sad to write that, but jaded enough to believe what I just wrote.

Thanks for writing this post. It's the first honest, common sense post regarding the elections I've seen. Actually, I think it's the first human post I've seen.

Will all you foreigners shut up about His-Holiness-The-Savior-of-All-That-is-Wrong-in-America Obama?! (<-- Total sarcasm in case that was mistaken somehow.) Go vote in your country. I am just THRILLED you can't vote in mine.

And I have never seen so many SHEEPLE in my life. Makes me want to vomit a little in my mouth.

Newsweek reminded me yesterday that I live in one of the six BLOOD RED states where Obama's odds are slim to none. Yeah. Most European nations elect their leadership with the popular vote and wonder what the hell is wrong with us. I will still cast my tiny blue vote like a tiny whiff of fresh air in the smog of red farts.

It made me so sad to read this post as I've read your blog for years and never realized you held such anger and bitterness towards half of your fellow US citizens. While I commend you for your passion in supporting your candidate... making those of us who support McCain/Palin sound like we are fresh from the gates of hell is sad. I don't feel like you are a bad person for voting for Obama. He seems like a nice man who wants to help his country.

Just because we take our money and give it to our church (who supports single mom's, our inner city students, etc.), donate regularily to our local food pantry, send money to Katrina victims and try to help others with our time as well doesn't make us evil just because WE want to put our money to use in the way WE think is most productive. If we think that having the government spend our money for us isn't as productive - that makes us horrible?

We recycle faithfully and support conservation. Just because the Republicans in your life don't see the importance in this doesn't mean we are all that way! I really wish you wouldn't put everyone into little convenient labels.

1954. jennifer: Reality? How about racisim.

Heather, I love you more than ever for this beautiful post. Thank for for so eloquently putting the way that i've been feeling. I'm over here in the UK pulling my hair out, and all i can do is make sure my voter registration is turned in and donate. Everyone, don't forget to register to vote!

Wow! I'm in love.

@ 1893:

Umm...yeah, Trig has and will benefit government insurance and programs. His mother is an elected official. John McCain is a life-long service man and elected official. It's part of the deal. Totally different for non-government officials benefitting from government programs at the expense of non-government entities.

Ignorant.

Yo, Elizabeth--
This quote from you, "We're in debt due to different reasons, but one of the main ones being that we help our foreign allies and less fortunate countries." is completely misinformed.

Foreign aid comprises LESS THAN 1% of the federal budget. It is most definitely NOT the main reason we're in debt, in fact, it's a paltry amount of our budget, and does not contribute much to our national debt at all.

It's nice to know the facts before you debate.

with all due respect, after having read this post... this month's masthead title seems appropriate.

@ 1970: That's what I'm talking about! Freedom to choose where I want my money to go.

If you are at all disgruntled with the way your government is running the country, start by voting. Write your representatives...repeatedly. If you are still not satisfied, get involved with a cause and maybe even take an elected position yourself. But many won't, they'd prefer to sit at home, work their 9-5 and complain.

thank you. I'm an american currently living overseas, and what I am seeing makes me sick and scared. I want to come back to the US, but not if McCain/Palin are elected. She scares the shit out of me.

Sing it sister! Every time I hear someone else acknowledge that the emperor has no clothes on, I feel like I can breathe again.

Ladies, ladies. Take it easy. Take it easy.

We conservatives care about people. We just don't want to create big government in order to create dependency.

Each state has numerous programs for the un or under insured.

Teach a person to fish.

Well, said, Heather.

OBAMA '08!!!!

#1970 you are not an anomaly. I think there are many republicans who feel the way you do - myself included.

@ 1964:

Exactly! Everyone wants to blame Presidents for everything but rarely speak of Congress. This congress? The WORST in history. Worst approval rating and the least amount of resolutions/bills passed in history. They have done almost nothing. They've voted to stop funding the war no less than 3 times and the vote has failed miserably every time. The Democratically-ruled house can stop this war at any time by cutting funding. They haven't. In fact, this year they voted to SPEND $162 billion more on the war.

If I were a Democrat and I really was opposed to the war, I'd be pissed at the people in Congress who vote in my name. I'd start holding my reps accountable. I do send email and letters to my Reps on a regular basis letting them know where I stand on issues.

If you are a Democrat, why are you not on the phone and writing letters to your reps?

Won't drill for non-foreign oil? The mere mention of lifting the executive order on the ban for drilling oil sent oil prices down immediately. Coincidence? Hardly.

Bravo Heather! Bravo.

Some of your commenters here have mentioned that they couldn't care less who a Canadian or Australian or European want you for President. And they're right. It's your election, not ours (I'm Canadian). But to those people....try reading or listening to some media from outside your own country for a change and you might understand exactly why it is that Heather wrote the last two paragraphs of this post. The "rest" of the world is a big place with lots of successful policies etc. of our own. The US is the only country with completely privatized health care. How do you think it works everywhere else? Do you really believe the majority of the rest of the world's population are the socialist/communist morons your government wants you to believe we are?

The way I see it, countries put their money where their values lie. It is abundantly obvious to the "rest" of the world that your country doesn't value your health and well-being. Why do you want to put up with that?

And the "rest" of the world is pretty sick of GWB and his pals bullying us, stomping on treaties that have been in place for years, ignoring our contributions to your wars (yes, Canadians are fighting and dying in Afghanistan). Please pay attention to some outside media sources....please. You guys have no idea how blinded you are by the American media. There is so much more going on here than they ever tell you.

Heather it is so encouraging to read what you've written here. I, for one, hope Obama has inspired enough people to get out and make a change. Thank you for posting this. It gives me hope.

You are so full of yourself...to get to worked up...don't ya know, America's going to hell in a hand-basket anyways??

Well what can you say? From PTA president to Commander in Chief. Its laughable at best, but of course as always we the "think for yourself" people are crazy nut jobs who aspire for higher taxes and socialism! Let the Hockey Mom revolution begin! I cant wait to see our Secretary of Defense who's credentials consist of Little League Baseball Coach.

this is a great source for things similar to the article that you linked to....

http://www.politifact.com

thanks for posting!

It scares the pants off me that there are so many angry, uneducated, unthinking people in this country. It apparently is far easier to blame the Republican party for every woe than it is to look deeper into the issues and identify what is really wrong. I am personally sick and tired of supporting people who MAKE NO EFFORT to better themselves or their situation. We have become a welfare state that ENCOURAGES people to not work and let the government take care of them. I constantly see an attitude of "entitlement" in the low socio-economic community I live in and I am SICK OF IT. I am all for helping anyone who is temporarily struggling or who is trying to better their situation, but in reality, this group is the MINORITY of those who are bleeding this country dry through the welfare system.

If Obama/Biden is elected, our welfar system will just grow - I might as well quit my teaching job because I will probably be better of just staying home with my kids and collecting welfare.

Lastly, why is Palin's inexperience so important when she has more experience than the Democratic presidential nominee? Also, I don't understand why Biden is just a great VP pick......he is just another Washington politician who would have benefited from term limits.

I really enjoyed this column until you started spewing just nasty rhetoric.....I doubt I will be reading you any more.

These comments stand as evidence that the US is crumbling and that we are now two totally different nations. At some point I'm sure history will record this time period as the moment that preceded the downfall of our country. I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Karl Rove for inciting a culture war that seems to have no end.

Maybe this was your coming out to your family! But you know, without the gay part.

If your family stops talking to you, you can join the millions of disowned gays (me included) whose families freaked out because they couldn't handle the truth.

I understand that sinking feeling in your gut, waiting for your family's reaction and trying to figure out what compromises you can and should make. Sorry, it sucks. But I think you did the only thing you could do.

I loved this.

I have a cranial malformation (completely unrelated to plagiocephaly, but I have heard of it) that puts me in a similar insurance position. I have to pay out of pocket more than 1/4th of my yearly salary to be insured and I still pay several thousands out of pocket for co-pays. And did I mention I'm a teacher? It's not like I have the money to roll in. My work does not provide insurance, but allows us to belong to a group. It is only because of that that I can remain insured at all.

I wish more people could understand the difference between helping a person and promoting welfare/homelessness. It's infuriating.

Amen.

What's with all the Canadian's? Who cares what they think.

Heather, you sound like a typical whiney liberal....You live in a country where you make a great living doing what you love. You're not so bad off...trust me.

Who can we blame for the trillions of dollars in debt? Bushie!

I wish I had the time to read all of these comments, but the few I've read are already making me have palpitations, so I'll just say my piece and skeddadle.

The majority of complaints in the comments I have read state that we (Democrats) are harping on Republicans because of Palin's inexperience. I don't really care if her only experience in politics was as a junior toilet scrubber to the mayor of my ass, her policies -- when she bothers to talk about them -- are frightening.

I can't bring myself to even consider voting for a woman who doesn't believe in my right to choose, my right to equal pay for equal work, and who wants to take our right to religion away by teaching creationism and intelligent design in public schools. Not to mention the laundry list of egregious policies that I haven't mentioned.

This is a woman who tried to get books banned from the library, because they were reportedly filled with "swears," and then tried to fire the library director for failing to cooperate with her. (Good for the librarian!)

This is a woman who, before her selection, questioned the importance of the role of vice president. (I'm sure she thinks it's pretty important now!)

This is a woman who blatantly lied at the Republican convention, in front of millions, like she didn't think any of us were smart enough to figure it out.

Wake up, America. Experience matters little. Even idiots can destroy the world.

Thank you, Heather (and Jon) - while there are intelligent, articulate and kind people like yourselves speaking out and voting in the USA, we over the pond in the UK can know that this electon has a chance. We are watching and waiting in hope.

I find it amusing that those same right wing conservatives that scream about abortion are those same right wing conservatives that scream about welfare. Reason?

If a young woman/girl is pregnant and KNOWS she cannot take care of a child, and IF she can't have an abortion and therefore MUST have the child she ALREADY KNOWS SHE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF were to get on WELFARE, then that's no good either.

You can't have it both ways.

and please, I don't even CARE about the "adoption" argument, as it's been said- but if that's the "cure" to the "problem" then the foster care system shouldn't be overburdened at all- what with all the Christian Right Wing Conservatives who open their homes to unwanted kids. Oh wait, what? Oh, they don't? My bad. (and please, I'm NOT talking about people who DO adopt- within the u.s.a. I'm talking about the folks that will stand on a sidewalk in front of a clinic with posters and tell the mothers going in that they MUST not "murder" their child, but those VERY SAME PEOPLE are probably NOT offering up their homes TO THAT SAME CHILD)

Listen, the fact of the matter is the poor tend to take care of the poor. Anyone who can claim to be a Republican is astounding, as those are usually the same people who think BUSH has done a "heckuva job".

I'll take Obama and what COULD change over McCan't and what WON'T change anyday.

Great post Dooce!

Obama '08!

Why do otherwise perfectly normal, intelligent, compassionate people vote conservative - many times against their own best interest? It's a psychological thing. The flip-side to blaming the victim is applauding the survivor. They naturally take refuge in religion because they need to know that bad shit doesn't just happen to good people and that there's some higher purpose for everything - good and bad. People having a tough time are lazy, or don't work hard enough. Or don't pray hard enough. Somehow they "deserve" their lot in life (or God is testing them). And if, by whatever fluke of luck, or access to opportunity others have become successful..well they must also deserve those "good" things. They *must* have earned it. Either through hard work, or proper faith or "moral" living.

Because believing otherwise means you must also believe there's a limit to the individual power you have to affect your own fate. It means accepting that you have no control.

So see, what they really need is a 12-step program!

Don't you remember that study that came out a couple of years ago (Jack Block?) that showed whiny, insecure kids in preschool were overwhelmingly more prone to become conservatives in adulthood? They need the reassurance of traditional societal roles and authoritative leaders.

So the next study I want to see is... are these personality traits inherent or is it a product of their early childhood development?

Thank you thank you thank you!! I haven't had a chance to read through all 2 million responses here (and don't expect you to read this one) but I also appreciate your post here. I just got back from vacation w/my 84 yr old mother (in AZ no less, down the street literally from the McCains). She used to complain about his white ass, now she thinks he's so cool. She yelled at me for daring to say something like -- there's a reason why people like Obama, he's a compelling speaker. She screamed at me that "he's a socialist!" Hello mom? Do you get a social security check? medicare?? IT"S FUCKING SOCIALISM. SHe had FOX Fucking news on ALL DAY. They had a freaking orgasm when it was announced she was running. I can't help but think it's a ploy...a very hollow one. The radio in AZ was going on about how gorgeous she was. That was about the extent of it. One announcer wished there had been a podium cam so he could look up her skirt. I'm so ashamed of my state some times.

Enough rant. Keep up the fight! the good work! The dooceliciousness.

You're brave, Heather. You could have kept your mouth shut, but you took a risk and stood up for what you believe in, no matter WHO it alienated. You're very brave.

To everyone who keeps saying that the socialized health care in Europe/Canada/other first world countries., etc. sucks... clearly you've never spoken with anyone who is a product of it. They will all wholeheartedly agree that the system isn't perfect. But would any of them trade places with us for a second? Not for a million dollars. I lived in England for a while and experienced their healthcare system first hand. I didn't wait any longer for an appointment there than I do here. It took me two months to get an appointment with my "primary care physician" (ironic title because I have never actually met her) through Kaiser. I waited about two weeks in England.

Four years ago I waited for eight hours in an ER. I miscarried in their waiting room. I was systematically ignored by every nurse and doctor in the place, despite the huge amounts of blood and the blinding pain that had me crying on the floor in a ball. THAT'S our healthcare system for you. In England the longest I ever waited in the ER was about 45 minutes.

You people who are so quick so shout "COMMUNIST!" like this is 1952 are insane. It's time this country swallowed a little bit of its pride and admitted that sometimes other counties do it correctly and we can learn from them.

Thank you thank you thank you! I now consider The Daily Show my prescription for sanity. Hope it helps you get through this dark chunk of American history alongside the rest of us liberal schmoes.

all i can say is FUCKING BRAVA!!!
keep saying it (and keep passing that AP link around!)

looks like they're aiming straight for the religious right at this point anyway and they've lost at least 25% of their support in the last 8 years.

on the conservative friends and family thing...i haven't been able to have a remotely political discussion with my sister in years...i get it, but i also find her reactions unreasonable (fucking pit bulls)

Maybe lay off the sauce a little....

#2001- WORD!

Still lovin you Heather. Keep the faith.

So, pretty much any time you and Becca want to vent girl friend-style feel free to come on over. The election season brings out the expletives in her. It's pretty funny, really.

I understand all the vitriol heaped on George Bush. I agree with a lot of it. But John McCain is not Bush 3, and -- surprise -- not all conservatives think alike!

Note the following:

John McCain fought against the United States ever condoning torture, but Bush did it anyway.

John McCain fought against the Bush Cheney tax cuts, but Bush did it anyway. Today, as our economy has softened McCain does not want to raise taxes because NO economist will tell you to ever raise taxes in a down economy. John McCain was right on taxes then and he is right now.

John McCain fought against the Bush Cheney Energy Bill. The one written by ENRON with Cheney behind closed doors that gave BILLIONS in tax credits to the big oil companies, (you know, the one Obama voted FOR even though he now mocks that bill as an example of what is wrong in Washington - the bill HE VOTED FOR).

John defied his party and recognized Global Warming as a serious threat as well as America’s responsibility to be a leader in the world when facing such problems. George Bush is too stupid to recognize the science behind these findings and fights John McCain on this issue to this day.

John McCain is a fiscal conservative who opposes earmarks - all of them - and has fought against the irresponsible spending spree of Democrats and Republicans alike led by George W Bush that is destroying our future.

John McCain fought chronyism in Washington and fought against his own party in the aftermath of Katrina. He heaped scathing criticism on George W Bush for the incompetency shown by FEMA. Thank god George Bush listened as evidenced by the vastly superior government reaction to Gustov.

John McCain fought his entire party to co-author and pass campaign finance reform. (NOTE - the only bi-partisan effort Obama has ever been a part of was LEAD by John McCain).

John McCain was for Stem Cell Research, but Bush fought against it.

John McCain fought against a Constitutional Amendment prohibiting gay marriage, but Bush fought for it.

I am now considering leaving you 100 nasty comments simply so you will donate $100 more to Obama.

Keep speaking your truth, Heather. The good guys need you.

Thank you for writing this.

I find it very scary how Americans at large think. I had the privilege of being born American but was born and raised in another country. The rest of the world finds Americans narrow minded and ethnocentric. We gauge the rest of the world only by American standards. It is easy to do as this, in many ways, is the greatest country in the world.

However, I am shocked as to how easily deceived so many people are.

What are our values? When Palin spoke at the RNC, she mocked Democrats and jeered at the "Styrofoam columns" that were used at the DNC. Is that the type of person that we want handling complex diplomatic relations? I got the distinct impression that she is just a big bully. Her tactics are to bark and bully.

I sincerely hope that Americans are smarter than that.

We have to begin to dismantle allegiance to a group and think of the individual issues as they pertain to us individually.

Also, we have to give each other permission to think outside the political box. I think it is perfectly reasonable to be a pro-life Democrat. But somehow we feel the issue of abortion is what separates party lines.

I also beg to address the issue of being "pro" or "anti." My basic premise is that a war against a war is still a war. I do not believe that most conservative Americans are pro-life, they are really anti abortion. There is a whole different energy to it.

I think those of us that support Obama have to stay pro Obama and not get into the anti McCain energy. Whatever you focus on expands so Anti McCain energy is really pro McCain energy. It creates buzz around McCain and not around Obama.

I hope you get the picture.

I am glad you wrote this post. It needed to be said.

Thanks

Iyabo Asani
www.AuthenticChangeAgent.com

Couldn't comment on the new post of yours, so decided to add to the thousands here...

I don't vote party, I vote candidate. I don't label myself a democrat or republican. I vote for the candidate whose ideas on policies most resemble my own. Not everything Obama says relates to me. Not everything McCain says relates to me. So I will choose the one whose platform speaks the most to me. Fine.

What I don't get is the bashing. These candidates are all fine people who are trying to better our country. So you don't agree with the way they want to do it? Speak out for the one that you want, but why trash the others?

We need to read and listen and think about who we want, but respecting the other millions who don't agree is imperative to make our country stronger.

I have many friends and family that call themselves republican and many that are democrats. I cherish them all, regardless of their policitical beliefs. We all have different life experiences that lead us to different expectations and I respect that.

Not all democrats are all about the environment, global warming and pro-choice nor are all republicans all about guns, money and not liking sex- especially HOT HOT sex.

After reading your last twitter. I'm curious how many negative comments you receive.

You've wrote so much of what I'm feeling so much better than I ever could have put it. Thank you Heather.

Beautifully written. It is making me sick to my stomach to see that reasonably intelligent people are buying into this Repub mess. Sarah Palin??? Really?? And, by the way, no interviews thank you very much. Her speeches are good enough for the unwashed public. Go to hell, big red machine.

By the way, if you didn't like Sarah Palin's speech, donate to Barack Obama's campaign. Since her speech, as of this morning, his campaign was ten million dollars fatter!! I haven't heard the total lately, but I wish it would get more TV publicity.

So why dont we all just give our whole pay check to the govt and divid it equally between everyone even those lazy, hand me your money cause I want someone to support me! I hope your advertiser look at this very close and cut you loose, then you can be asking for a hand out too!

I never leave comments at sites requiring emails, but this is worth it. That took guts to stand up to your family and friends like that, I too am amazed good friends will defend her as if I'm the idiot because they're too loyal to their party to be honest with a good friend. It's heartbreaking and terrifying. Prayers for your family and for you.Prayers for everyone involved in this farce that they come to their senses and truly be the kind of people worthy of facing their God someday.

Not everyone is cut out for college nor has the desire to go to college. Why is our society now of the thought that if you don't have a college degree you are somehow a dimwit? We need good paying jobs (example, what used to be called 'a trade') for them. As a side note, those kind of jobs can NEVER be outsourced. Health care? Yes, we need something. I just don't know if a universal health care system is the answer. My best friend lived in Canada for over 20 years and she can recite nightmare after nightmare. Her kids would be running high temps, talking out of their heads, etc. and the next available appointment was in three weeks. Emergency Room? Sure....if your emergency can wait for a couple of days. Her words, 'you get what you pay for'. And, yes, some can't afford it even after working their butts off. Why is human nature such that every single thing has to be an extreme?? Sarah Palin. I like her. Qualified to be president? Who knows. The ones we have elected that seem to be QUALIFIED have done a lousy job. Let's face it. It is a crap shoot.

I have recently found myself in a situation similar to yours. I was recently laid off from my job and have become a SAHM while my husband continues to work free-lance. My job provided us our health insurance and without a job we have 2 options, 1) go on COBRA (which we absolutely cannot afford) or 2) find a private plan. The problem with #2 for us is that my daughter was born 10 weeks premature and is considered too risky for a private plan so we have had to go the rout of trying to find her a high risk plan that will accept her. All at an astronomical cost, and my husband and I aren't even included on the plan! It is SO frustrating! I also live in Utah and am about my wit's end because I have yet to find one person who has been able to help me find someone, anyone who wil lhelp us sort all of this out. Basically our options are me go back to work just to get on a group plan (which won't look at her medical history) or pay astronomical fees for a high risk plan PLUS a private policy for my husband and I. I basically have to choose between staying home with my daughter and having semi-affordable health care for my family which I don't think either is a great option. Why do I have to choose one or the other? Why isn't there an option where I can have both? The most frustrating about all this is yes my daughter was in the NICU for 8 weeks but she is FINE NOW. NO problems. None. If you looked at her you would never know she was a preemie. Me on the other hand, they don't know why I went in to labor early and could potentially have my next baby early since no cause was found; yet, I'm not considered high risk. Go figure. Something needs to be fixed and I'm voting for whichever candidate I feel has the best plan to fix our health care system. Party lines be damned!

Isn't it funny how all the haters are either "Anonymous" or not linking to their websites? Wimps.

But guys? Don't worry. Obama is going to win this easily. Go to CNN and check out the Electoral map. It'll make you feel much better:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/10/electoral.map/index.html

Posts like this, and Americans like you, give me hope. Thank you for writing this. I wish you could have universal healthcare and a welfare system that helps people, and that my country wasn't using yours as a paradigm for success... sigh. xx

POLITICS (by Sean Hayes)
No more politics, I know what’s next – call me hypocrite and burn down bridges.

I got a river running through my neck, I got a river running through my heart.

And all the blood that spills runs to the ocean
and all the oceans rise up and mingle with the air-
growing finger tips and semen-stained covers,
singing mercy me oh god, in ecstasy, oh yeah, right there.

Fantastic chicks, strawberry hills, light me a candle,
blow out my wish.
Unconscious it turns towards the sun, knows where the warmth is, knows what it wants-
wants to be filled in, wants to be filled up,
-want to be reborn, want to be reloved.

All the babies born swim from the ocean,
while the rain that falls runs into the sea.
Growing crazy mixed-up frogs that preach the coming of disaster, singing mercy me oh god, hell in ecstasy.

Eldorado blues, nowhere left to run,
grandma got plutonium under the rug.
Fanatical bliss, fanatical fight,
fanatics don’t let their babies go dancing.

You repress the beat, you repress the wine,
your mama mistook you for a lion.
She cut off your head, she don’t know your dead
and the streets will run red.

All the grass grows green where the homeless man sleeps
and the mystic sneezes rainshowers…
I like your polka dotted panties.
And a hero’s desire as her white back arches,
under a hot blue sky, sunny afternoon in the park.

No more politics, I know what’s next –
call me hypocrite, come on burn it down.
No more politics, I know what’s next –
we’re all hypocrites, come on burn it down.
Come on burn it down.

I ASKED WHEN (by Brett Dennen)

Well I dreamed I went out a wanderin’
I heard promises become fables forgotten
I saw bridges stretchin’ out across the water
And towers pushing tallerI knew my reality was clearly defined
By the fences put up around my mind
I watched them thickening the walls over time
Taller then any borderline I saw civilizations deemed insignificant
I saw people’s history tattooed on their skin
I saw families taken from their land
Dynasty shattered and stolen
And I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution

And all the burdens centuries accrue
They get passed to every generation’s youth
And all the allegories told in lewd truth
I watched them grow wild and spread like the flu
I saw the rise of an untamed industry
I watched machines print a paper economy
I saw my own self stand right in front of me
And I didn’t do a thing

I saw poisons pushed in the street
Prescription pills mingling in the mezzanine
With the whole wealth of doctors and pharmaceutical companies
Still poor people were dying from disease
And I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution

And I broke down at the break of dawn
And saw looming in the clouds above the Pentagon
As real as the Holocaust, as strong as the Parthenon
Visions of Sudan, Iraq, and Vietnam

And I stood silent upon a flooded levee
And stared at the ruins of a merchant city
And the president who came to dine with the noble elite
He didn’t do a thing
I saw three ships come sailing in
Through the passage of the Caribbean
I saw children coming home in coffins
Millions marching on Washington
And I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution
I asked when is the revolution

Samantha (#2052)

That settles it, if my next child is a girl she'll be named Samantha. You rock.

So... this entry gave someone fodder for a death threat against you?

Wow...

Seems like you could probably blog the alphabet and get one, too!

Amen.

I love your site, and I couldn't agree with you more!

Nice, Robin (2062)! NICE!

So, um, I just read your tweet and wish I could say something negative. But I agree with you wholeheartedly. My boss, after she heard Palin's speech, donated more to Obama and also to the Democrat for Congress in our part of town. Thanks for the AP link. I didn't read all your 2000 comments, wow.

Micki (#65) said:

Sarah Palin is doing something right in Alaska to have an 80% approval rating.

Seriously?! I seem to remember Geo W. having a pretty high approval rating right up until... suddenly he didn't. (I believe it started heading south right around the time he started swaggering around on the aircraft carrier, pompously claiming "mission accomplished".)

I'm thinking maybe an approval rating just means we-the-people should be looking that much harder at our elected officials, instead of buying into the BS that we watch on TV. And I say that in regards to ALL elected officials, not just Republicans.

Although the Republicans do seem to be better at screwing with our minds.

P.S. Forget Obama/Biden; forget McCain/Palin. I'm voting for Dooce/Chuck 2008! Campaign tagline: "Shit happens. Play nice. Pass the edamame."

2060: Alaska doesn't have a personal income tax or a state sales tax, so Palin did not give "the overpaid taxes BACK the community".

Wasilla had NO debt when Sarah Palin became mayor - she left it with $22,000,000.00 in debt. For a town of less than 8,000 people. That's nearly $3,000.00 worth of debt for every man, woman and child in town. No favors for Wasilla, let me tell you. Not everyone in Wasilla is happy with her, but many are too scared to say anything.

I just wanted to add to the comment I left much earlier, to answer the people who take issue with those of us who say we aren't "proud" of our country...

Loving something, including your country, and being patriotic is about not loving blindly. If you love something, it hurts you when it doesn't live up to it's potential. I lived overseas for 3+ years. When I originally left, I was thoroughly disgusted with The States and never wanted to come back. My time abroad has taught me many things and allowed me to see very clearly what needs to be changed and what is good about this country. I've been back in the country for a year now and I found I have a new, very strong desire to make change from within by volunteering and educating - because I am VERY unhappy with what's been going on, and I do NOT think this country is holding up to it's own standards. I'm expect better and I know this country is capable of it. I find that to be far more "patriotic" than just sitting down on my couch, acting deaf & dumb and saying I'm proud, no matter what happens.

#2051:
"My best friend lived in Canada for over 20 years and she can recite nightmare after nightmare. Her kids would be running high temps, talking out of their heads, etc. and the next available appointment was in three weeks. Emergency Room? Sure....if your emergency can wait for a couple of days."

This is such a load of fear-mongering crap! Any and every time my kids are sick they see their doctor right away (when necessary) and no one waits 3 days to get into the ER. This is the kind of crap that has to stop! It doesn't happen people! Please wake up and stop listening to garbage like this. I've lived in Canada for a lot longer than 20 years (my whole life) and have never heard an actual story like this.

Is our system perfect? Of course not. None is. But I would take ours over yours any day of the week. I know my kids will be looked after regardless of their illness and "pre-existing condition". The crap Americans put up with from insurance companies is beyond insane.

There are 600,000+ words in the English language (plus or minus a certain number for different linguistic opinions on how we quantify a word). Surely, with all those words, there is a way to be both forceful and respectful. We don't have to be totally united in our opinions, but it would surely help for us to have the common ground of mutual civility and respect. Don't we have a better way of talking, and more important things to talk about, than, "your candidate has _even less_ experience than mine!"? Every parent and teacher I know advocates calm discussion of problems over the rhetoric of the blown raspberry to their children and students, but here are adult, vote-capable men and women, for all intents and purposes making fart noises at one another rather than actual discourse.

This is about everyone I've heard or read so far... across aisles, upstairs, downstairs, in my lady's chamber. Discussion works by a combination of arcane factors: listening thoughtfully and speaking thoughtfully. Our right to speak has been put down on paper for the whole country to know about. It's very explicit. We are all pleased it is there. What is _not_ there, however, are any rules or guidelines for the ensuing chaos. Despite this, we seem to have developed rules for civilized conversation, which we impart to children: speak one at a time, listen to one another, don't hit, tell the truth, don't say, "shut up" because it's rude. I know it's not written in archaic script on crumbly paper, but this set of values is what makes the right to speech worth having, a valid catalyst for constructive engagement. Otherwise it's just noise.

Apparently, everyone wants to talk about change. Can we change about talk? Let's change this from petty squabbling to adult conversation among the equals we are.

I've really mulled over this post for a day, and think that the trouble with America is we see things in extremes. Extreme conservatives have it completely wrong, and I think extreme liberals aren't the right way to go either. I'm a liberal, but also believe in a free-market economy: most importantly on a global scale - something conservatives never agree to.

I find many of us agree - no one wants to pay to help someone who's lazy. But we should examine the world around us, and be far less ethnocentric. Europe pays much more in gas and taxes - but they also have a lot more benefits and are far more centered around their families. They work less, and are able to raise their children while they are young.

Everyone's upset at the idea of social medicine but Americans pay more for their healthcare than anywhere in the world, and we are statistically the unhealthiest in the world! Something is clearly wrong here!

I am born and raised in America and strongly believe in this great country - but many of our policies have got it wrong and the answer is probably a mix of them both. More ignoring of the global markets is a serious mistake, and I find the nomination of Sarah Palin - most likely because she's a woman - to be insulting.

Heather, I linked to your post in my own blog because you put far better than I ever could.

And my only other note is that I'm sick to death of being told to go live in Canada or Europe because I don't like what this country's become. NO. I will NOT leave. This country was founded on incredible, wonderful principles, and we've strayed from them. I will stay and fight and stand up for what I believe in and hope like hell that eventually, with enough support, we will swing back to what we once were.

Um, hey...all you anonymous people bashing Heather for speaking her mind (yeah, it's called FREEDOM OF SPEECH) why not go balls to the walls and actually SIGN YOUR NAME?

i just have to chuckle every time i see a "you suck" "you are an idiot" "i'm never reading your blog again" comment and it is signed anonymous. too chicken to actually put your money where your mouth is?

in my mind, anon comments are worthless and show how cowardly the writer really are.

oh, #1746...just so you know...

Jesus was a community organizer. Pilate was a governor.

Thank you so much for coming right out and saying exactly what you did.

If McCain wins, I don't know what we will do. Maybe move to Canada?

Did you know that you can buy a book that informs Americans how to go about moving to Canada? Quick...I'm off to Amazon.com!

I can't thank you enough for posting about this. I check your blog as often as I can, and am endlessly entertained by your hilarious stories about life -- but this is the first time I have been truly moved. I want to run to Utah and hug you! That'd be quite a treck from Charlotte, NC, but I'd do it! Thank you for having the eloquence that I lack in regard to expressing your opinion toward McCain/Palin. I want to hope so badly that we can elect Obama and start to dig ourselves out of this enormous mess we've made, but the number of people who are on board with his message is scary.... Surely they can't be the majority, can they?

#2085:

Um, hey...Traci. I entered my name in the "your name" slot. What difference does it make, though, really? YES YOU'RE SO RIGHT, it is called "freedom of speech" and that is why people from all over are posting their comments. If they don't like what Heather's writing about and they say so, then that's their freedom to say it. Now, do you think it's going to make a difference if they have their name posted or not? Oh, and let me guess...you're going to say "put a web address!". But I don't happen to have one, or who ever else doesn't happen to have one...too bad for you so you can't go harass them at their non-existent website.

Also, why don't you put your money where your mouth is? I think you should take 70% of your income and deliver it to those in need. Then you will be be taking action to make a change YOURSELF instead of letting the government do it against your will. I choose to keep the money I earn to feed myself and do all I can to pay my own bills. I am not whining about that, nor am I begging for charity, just telling it like it is.

eff the haters. good for you dude.

Hi Heather!

I had this really long post typed up and decided to say, "Screw it!"

I love you Heather! Thank you for being so brave as to post this and open up comments. People become crazed on the topic of politics or religion... and sometimes sex. Ha! I just think you're one tough cookie and I admire you for it.

PS It's abhorrent that a first-world country doesn't have free health care for all its children. (Oh crap, see? I couldn't refrain from throwing something political in there.)

Holy crap, the comments.

Thank you for raising valid points.

Thank you also for allowing all the crazy to invade your website and comments. In addition to the, um, intensity in some of the conflict your post generated providing some amusement... Politics is a touchy subject, and honestly, I applaud you for being willing to step in it in your online life. That takes balls. :-)

I still hope Heather does what she never said she would do and give the money she's making from the ads on this post! Then she can show how much she SAYS she cares about those people without the money to buy a more expensive lawn mower/car/cow that doesn't put out as much co2 so the environment can finally be saved!

What do you think?

I think... you should shut your whore mouth.

I'm annoyed that when I said "Oh come on, does he think having a female running mate will get Hilary supporters to just run over to him" I didn't account for the fact that there are idiots out there who heard "woman" and didn't realize that she is not in any way going to help women.

Yes, she has one child with special needs and another child pregnant so many people in America can relate but I will not be voting for her/McCain. I'd like to rest easy knowing families across the country are not watching their sons and daughters ship out to war only to come back without limbs or not come back at all. And I never want to sit down and hear my daughter no longer has a choice about her body.

So if Pallin and McCain move into the White House come January, I will be incredibly disappointed. I won't move to Canada. I'm staying put. But I will be disappointed that there are so many people out there thinking that they were right for everyone in America.

Heather,

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For speaking your mind, for daring to deal with the dissent.

Annie