Has everyone been watching the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates? I hope so. As expected, the gloves have come off and it’s getting pretty nasty. One side is accusing the other of being a “terrorist”. Yeah, the old guy and his VP side kick, Mrs. Soccer Marm (who, by the way was chosen by the far right wing of the Republican Party because of her solid Christian credentials) are trying to “insinuate” that Barack Obama is a “terrorist”. When they couldn’t make that label stick, they dug up a story when he briefly associated with this guy Bill Ayers, who was a radical in the 60’s. They lived in the same neighborhood in Chicago. They also tried to tie him to another wacko, the Reverend Wright. Mrs. Palin (another wacko) mocked his “community service”. For the record, Obama is actually a Harvard gradate and “Constitutional” Lawyer. (Remember that old document called our Constitution?) The President of the United States is supposed to be bound by law to “Protect and Defend” the Constitution. If you have time, read it. It’s a pretty awesome document. It’s slowly being eroded, article by article, right in front of our eyes.

I expect the McCain camp to come out swinging really hard in the next few weeks before the election. My bet is that they’ll probably try to associate Obama with “Satan” himself. That’s all they’ve got left.

The thought of Sarah Palin as Vice President disturbs me. As a woman, I have no doubt that “a woman” is capable of being Vice President of the United States, or, for that matter, President of the United States. Just not THIS WOMAN! The Vice President has 3 official duties. One is to get the Presidential nominee elected. The second is to break a tie vote in congress. The third is to take over the duties of the Office of the President in the event that the President should become unable to carry out his duties. (Translation: Death or serious disability) The very thought that Sarah Palin could become President in a heartbeat scares the HELL out of me. Her credentials? Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Other credentials: Evangelical Christian. Hobbies: Flute playing, baby making, assault weapon collecting, wolf killing, moose hunting, ALASKAN INDEPENDENCE member and supporter.

Roe v Wade? Only one more Supreme Court Justice is needed to reverse the decision. A national AIDS strategy? McCain and Palin support “abstinence”. Obama supports comprehensive education and scientifically backed evidence of how to slow the spread of HIV. Just investigate how their policies DIFFER.

Our economy is in the tank. I doubt that “trickle down” economics (giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy so that they will “trickle it down” to the worker) will solve our problems. I don’t believe that “deregulation” will help much either.

Perhaps the mantra of deregulation should be readdressed? After all, it was the DEREGULATION of the banking industry that got us into this mess!

We’ve got to look at the reality of our situation and do our best to avert this train wreck.

The reality is that stocks are falling. The reality is that America has gone bankrupt. Markets are crashing all over the world. But McCain insists that the economy is “fundamentally sound”.

The party on Wall Street and in Corporate America is over. We’re broke. The “deregulation mantra” of the Republicans has backfired.

We should have learned our lesson with Ronald Reagan. Does anyone remember his "Reaganomics"? It left us with one of the largest deficits in history. Until now. Sound familiar? There is a saying, “Those who don’t study history are destined to repeat it.” We’re repeating it now. The administration of George W. Bush is leaving us with a deficit of over 10 TRILLION DOLLARS, two wars, a recession and over 70 million people without healthcare.

I know most people have been trained not to like “politics”. But it’s our life blood. For people with HIV/AIDS, it’s LITERALLY our life blood. So, stop complaining, stop whining, get involved and VOTE!

The most important election of our lives will take place in less than 30 days. We need a President that helps the middle class. We need affordable healthcare that doesn’t discriminate against people with AIDS or shut out people with “pre-existing conditions”.

I urge you to vote. In order to vote, you MUST BE REGISTERED! It’s easy, it doesn’t take much time and it’s one of the most important things you can do.

If you agree with McCain, then vote for him. If you agree with Obama, then vote for him. McCain and Obama are not the only candidates running for President. But they are the two who were able to raise the most money. And it takes a hell of a lot of money to run for President of the United States.

We all must decide for ourselves who is the best candidate. It is our choice. We are “free” to make that decision. I’ve made up my mind, but you need to make up your own. Read everything. Of course, I readily admit that my blog is biased. Most mainstream media won’t admit that. But, I’ve studied history. In fact, I’m fascinated with it. I’ve changed my mind and (I admit) political party in accordance with the changes that I witness from year to year. I believe that an open mind and freedom of speech is essential for a democracy to exist. So you have to look and think for yourselves. Read EVERYTHING and not just what’s linked in this blog, written in the major newspaper or on the national network news. Look on the internet, look at the International newspapers, go to different websites. Make an informed decision. Use you head. Use your heart. Use your right to VOTE!. Remember, silence = DEATH.