Tonight I attended my very first political rally. The candidate that I support is (as I am composing this), debating 2 opponents for the single House of Representatives seat in South Dakota.
By no means do I consider myself great at estimating crowds, however if I were to estimate how many were there supporting the same candidate that I do it would have to be around 60 to 75 people.
The Debate was to start at 8 pm, local time and the rally was to begin one hour earlier at 7 outside the television station that the debate was to take place at. I figured that if I showed up 15 minutes early I would be among the first there, I was kind of right. Although it was 35 degrees outside and a very cold wind was blowing easily a dozen people were there before I was. I had never before met anyone in person that was there but was made to feel welcome and found without exception everyone there was in a great mood and not angry. Between 7:00 and 7:20 pm many more people showed up and the feeling became decidedly like that of a high school homecoming football game.
Around 7:25 pm our candidate showed up out front of the building. She was driven in in a silver pickup truck. She greeted all of her supporters, many with hugs. As she was greeting the people gathered around her I noticed a HUGE white limo that began it's life as a SUV. I kid you not when I say that this thing was 40 foot long. It drove past and headed a little farther past the TV station towards downtown. Shortly thereafter a charter bus drives by.
I wish I had a notebook with me and were taking notes as the time-line of things that happened but I am hoping that as I am writing this less than an hour and a half later that things still are clear.
I think that Kristi Noem was still was still waiting to be let in to the front door when the limo and bus drove by. She was let in along with the 3 to 5 people that I am guessing were part of her campaign team. A minute or 2 after she was let in a gentleman that I learned later was the independent candidate walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the television station door. He had no supporters with him and largely went unnoticed.
Very shortly after this, we were told to form a line on the sidewalk to the south of the entrance to the station. As we did this I noticed that about a block north a group of people were walking our way. We were asked to be respectful, be quiet and just hold our signs, which were given to us by the campaign. We did just that, the people that approached along with their candidate were chanting slogans and when the candidate reached the doors to the TV station her supporters were only a few feet from us.
Once the Congresswoman entered the television station after a few moments her supporters walked back north and crossed the street to assemble directly across the street from us. The chanting began again in earnest on both sides.
The one thing that really made me mad about the whole thing was this. when at about 7:40 it was time for the opposition to pack up they all marched straight to their bus. I can honestly say that I do not know of any one that was bussed from our supporters.
I cannot prove that the congresswoman arrived in that long white limo, although I strongly suspect it. I can prove that her supporters left on that bus because I seen them board it.
I find it very disingenuous that you have to bus people in from God knows where just to be there when the press is taking pictures and video. I cannot prove it, but if I were a betting man I would bet large amounts of cash that the campaign paid for that bus and likely paid those people to be there.
The best part of the evening is that just as the people across the street were getting ready to leave a spontaneous rendition of "God Bless America" came up from the Noem supporters.
God Bless America indeed.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
South Dakota's choice
Well I warned you that I would post some things about politics and there is no time like the present. As stated in my previous post I am a conservative. For the most part I have been a conservative all of my adult life. I have never really been politically active however. I registered to vote at the age of 18 when I registered for the draft. (To make this clear this was in 1987, even as I begin to feel my age I am not old enough to have been involved in the Vietnam war). I have voted in every presidential election since then and have voted in most of the congressional elections as well.
Until earlier this week I had never contributed to a campaign of any candidate, nor had I ever seriously volunteered for one. This time I do not believe that I have a choice. I feel that I must help in any way that I am able. Our country has taken an abrupt left turn since January 2009 and we must stop this turn and try to correct the course of our nation before things go any further.
I have many problems with President Obama's administration, but by far and away the biggest is his health care reform act. I have many problems with it, first of all in the entire history of the nation never has every citizen been required to purchase a product. I have heard the argument that "well, you are required to purchase auto insurance". This is true, IF you own a car. If you do not want to purchase auto insurance you have the option to walk, take a bicycle or bus or horse-drawn carriage if you would like. My point is this, if you do not want to buy health insurance you have no option other than suicide.
Also, if you are somewhat well off, (at least in the state of South Dakota) you can self-insure your car. I have not looked in to it in quite a while, but it used to be that if you posted a rather large bond with the state, you would be considered self insured and therefore not have to pay an insurance company. There is no such provision in "Obamacare".
My rather lengthy point is this. All companies, mine included are out to make a profit. You perform a service and charge a little more than it costs you to perform that service. So in theory any one of us can self-insure. All insurance rates are based on actuarial tables. The insurance company charges you a little more than they think they are going to pay for covering someone like you for a specified length of time. If you are adventurous you could simply place that money in an account (where it earned you interest) and take out what it costs for your health care expenses as you go. If you put in at least what your premiums would have been you had a good chance of coming out ahead. Admittedly this was a risk, should something happen you could be on the hook for serious money, but a lot of people did it.
Now that has changed. In South Dakota we have 4 elected people that had a chance to influence that change.
#1) President Barak Obama.
#2) Senator John Thune
#3) Senator Tim Johnson
#4) Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
I personally wrote to every one of these people asking them not to pass this legislation as it would be a terrible financial burden on our country, and would likely cause me to not expand my business because of increased health care costs. I would like to let you know what responses I received and what I plan to do now.
First President Obama, I got a form letter email back from the white house saying that my message had been received and then nothing. Let's face it. we are stuck with him until at least January 2013. However you can bet that I will do everything I can to help him find the way back to Chicago then.
Next we have Senator Thune. I got an email from his office that looked like it was a form letter and it stated that he was against the legislation. He then voted against the legislation, Way to go Senator Thune! He is up for re-election this year but is running unopposed. Even if he weren't I would certainly vote for him.
Then we have Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Johnson sent me a letter through the postal service that said that one of the proudest moments he has ever had was voting for the bill. I guess he must have misread my email. Not only did he waste money sending me a form letter, he would have done better not sending it. Really Mr. Johnson? One of your proudest moments was insuring that I could not grow my business? Really? Mr. Johnson is up for election again in 2014... I am salivating and hoping to help his opponent with great amounts of my time and money.
Lastly we come to Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. I got a letter mailed from her as well. This was long after the vote, and explained why she voted against it. While it is technically true that she did vote against it, she waited to cast her vote until after the bill had already received enough votes to pass the house. She then made a deal with a doctor that was planning to run against her in the democratic primaries this year that she would oppose dismantling the bill if he would withdraw his candidacy. He did and this June she followed through with her promise to him and voted against a bill that would have removed the individual requirements in the law.
So this is where I make my stand. Last Tuesday I started making phone calls for Kristi Noem, Rep. Herseth Sandlin's opponent this November 2nd. And while I have not contributed to her campaign yet it will happen. I feel that it is my duty to do everything I possibly can to make certain that the America that my grandchildren inherit is more than just a pile of debt that nations like China and Saudi Arabia hold and a lot of lost dreams.
I will close with this plea to you. This November take some time to really think about your choices. Look at each candidate and what their stated beliefs and past votes do for or to you. For Heaven's sake do not vote for someone just because your Dad or Mom did, or because you think that they are "a good person".
If you disagree, by all means comment away! Please think about your comment before you post and do not just smear someone on a personal level. I would love to have an intellectual discussion about anything that I post, but name calling will be ignored and deleted.
Until next time,
Paul
Until earlier this week I had never contributed to a campaign of any candidate, nor had I ever seriously volunteered for one. This time I do not believe that I have a choice. I feel that I must help in any way that I am able. Our country has taken an abrupt left turn since January 2009 and we must stop this turn and try to correct the course of our nation before things go any further.
I have many problems with President Obama's administration, but by far and away the biggest is his health care reform act. I have many problems with it, first of all in the entire history of the nation never has every citizen been required to purchase a product. I have heard the argument that "well, you are required to purchase auto insurance". This is true, IF you own a car. If you do not want to purchase auto insurance you have the option to walk, take a bicycle or bus or horse-drawn carriage if you would like. My point is this, if you do not want to buy health insurance you have no option other than suicide.
Also, if you are somewhat well off, (at least in the state of South Dakota) you can self-insure your car. I have not looked in to it in quite a while, but it used to be that if you posted a rather large bond with the state, you would be considered self insured and therefore not have to pay an insurance company. There is no such provision in "Obamacare".
My rather lengthy point is this. All companies, mine included are out to make a profit. You perform a service and charge a little more than it costs you to perform that service. So in theory any one of us can self-insure. All insurance rates are based on actuarial tables. The insurance company charges you a little more than they think they are going to pay for covering someone like you for a specified length of time. If you are adventurous you could simply place that money in an account (where it earned you interest) and take out what it costs for your health care expenses as you go. If you put in at least what your premiums would have been you had a good chance of coming out ahead. Admittedly this was a risk, should something happen you could be on the hook for serious money, but a lot of people did it.
Now that has changed. In South Dakota we have 4 elected people that had a chance to influence that change.
#1) President Barak Obama.
#2) Senator John Thune
#3) Senator Tim Johnson
#4) Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
I personally wrote to every one of these people asking them not to pass this legislation as it would be a terrible financial burden on our country, and would likely cause me to not expand my business because of increased health care costs. I would like to let you know what responses I received and what I plan to do now.
First President Obama, I got a form letter email back from the white house saying that my message had been received and then nothing. Let's face it. we are stuck with him until at least January 2013. However you can bet that I will do everything I can to help him find the way back to Chicago then.
Next we have Senator Thune. I got an email from his office that looked like it was a form letter and it stated that he was against the legislation. He then voted against the legislation, Way to go Senator Thune! He is up for re-election this year but is running unopposed. Even if he weren't I would certainly vote for him.
Then we have Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Johnson sent me a letter through the postal service that said that one of the proudest moments he has ever had was voting for the bill. I guess he must have misread my email. Not only did he waste money sending me a form letter, he would have done better not sending it. Really Mr. Johnson? One of your proudest moments was insuring that I could not grow my business? Really? Mr. Johnson is up for election again in 2014... I am salivating and hoping to help his opponent with great amounts of my time and money.
Lastly we come to Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. I got a letter mailed from her as well. This was long after the vote, and explained why she voted against it. While it is technically true that she did vote against it, she waited to cast her vote until after the bill had already received enough votes to pass the house. She then made a deal with a doctor that was planning to run against her in the democratic primaries this year that she would oppose dismantling the bill if he would withdraw his candidacy. He did and this June she followed through with her promise to him and voted against a bill that would have removed the individual requirements in the law.
So this is where I make my stand. Last Tuesday I started making phone calls for Kristi Noem, Rep. Herseth Sandlin's opponent this November 2nd. And while I have not contributed to her campaign yet it will happen. I feel that it is my duty to do everything I possibly can to make certain that the America that my grandchildren inherit is more than just a pile of debt that nations like China and Saudi Arabia hold and a lot of lost dreams.
I will close with this plea to you. This November take some time to really think about your choices. Look at each candidate and what their stated beliefs and past votes do for or to you. For Heaven's sake do not vote for someone just because your Dad or Mom did, or because you think that they are "a good person".
If you disagree, by all means comment away! Please think about your comment before you post and do not just smear someone on a personal level. I would love to have an intellectual discussion about anything that I post, but name calling will be ignored and deleted.
Until next time,
Paul
Greetings!
As cliche as it may sound, I am brand new at this so please bear with me as I get used to it. I thought with my first post I would let you know a little about me and why I decided to do this. As such I guess an introduction is in order. My name is Paul, I drive truck for a living and have been a professional driver for more than 8 years now. I own my own truck and for the most part I love my career choice.
I am married and have 4 fantastic children, all of them grown and on their own. That makes Susan and me empty nesters. I am enjoying that, but admit that at times I admit the house is just too damn quiet. Two of my children have their own kids and so that makes Susan and I proud grandparents of 3.
Politically I am a staunch conservative. I like to tell people that my views are somewhere to the right of Rush Limbaugh.
To get to the point of why I am doing this, I just finished listening to the audio book "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer. This book is a fantastic read if you are in to suspense novels. In this book one of the central themes is that one of the keys to immortality is to tell your story.
I am not trying to kid myself or you. I am not a fantastic writer. I can put together a sentence or two from time to time however. And as my wife would surely tell you I am not at all short on opinions. I guess in short that the reason that I am doing this is that it lets me do two things at once. It allows me to get some (hopefully well reasoned) opinions out there and allows me to share a bit of myself in hopes that it carries on in some way after I am gone. (Hopefully a long, long, long time in the future)
So should you return to read here again, you can expect to find a little about politics; a little about trucking; a little about NASCAR, and a little about anything else that may enter my mind. I am hoping to post every Tuesday, (my regular day off), but I will hopefully post more if time allows.
So hey, thanks for your time and see you soon!
Paul
I am married and have 4 fantastic children, all of them grown and on their own. That makes Susan and me empty nesters. I am enjoying that, but admit that at times I admit the house is just too damn quiet. Two of my children have their own kids and so that makes Susan and I proud grandparents of 3.
Politically I am a staunch conservative. I like to tell people that my views are somewhere to the right of Rush Limbaugh.
To get to the point of why I am doing this, I just finished listening to the audio book "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer. This book is a fantastic read if you are in to suspense novels. In this book one of the central themes is that one of the keys to immortality is to tell your story.
I am not trying to kid myself or you. I am not a fantastic writer. I can put together a sentence or two from time to time however. And as my wife would surely tell you I am not at all short on opinions. I guess in short that the reason that I am doing this is that it lets me do two things at once. It allows me to get some (hopefully well reasoned) opinions out there and allows me to share a bit of myself in hopes that it carries on in some way after I am gone. (Hopefully a long, long, long time in the future)
So should you return to read here again, you can expect to find a little about politics; a little about trucking; a little about NASCAR, and a little about anything else that may enter my mind. I am hoping to post every Tuesday, (my regular day off), but I will hopefully post more if time allows.
So hey, thanks for your time and see you soon!
Paul
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