Reflections on the election

It should come as no surprise that I was extremely disappointed in the presidential election results. I came out of this election more determined than ever to be involved in the Republican party, and to work to help bring people to office who best represent conservative values and policies. I don't have to agree with one candidate completely... I never have anyway. I do prefer to at least feel confident in both their abilities and their vision for the country, though.

I am quite disgusted with the treatment of Sarah Palin in the wake of the election, and I feel the mainstream media really needs to be brought to task for their blatantly biased coverage and dishonest reporting. What should be a necessary watchdog program has become an unethical brand of journalism I would expect to see in gossip rags.

As far as local elections go, all but one of the candidates I voted for won. I really enjoyed being able to talk to the kids throughout this election process and seeing them form some of their own opinions. They woke up Wednesday morning and went right to the internet to see who had won. There were some more good opportunities for teaching there as well.

Jessica got to vote for the first time, as did several other new adults I know. I am proud of all these kids for getting registered and being a part of the electoral process.

One of the girls I know has walked away feeling like her vote didn't count because her candidate didn't win. I have to address this, for her and anybody else who might feel this way. Every vote counts. In this election your vote was heard. Obama may have won by an electoral college landslide, but his win in the popular vote was NOWHERE near a landslide. Nearly half of the voters have told him that they did not want him to be their President. That message isn't being broadcast nearly as much as the other news coverage of the final election, but it is something that Obama and his advisors have to remember.

I could probably post a ten-page diatribe about everything I didn't like about this election, but it "wouldn't be prudent", so I'm "not gonna do it." I didn't post a lot of my opinions before the election here, so I am not going to list all my gripes now and have them sound like "sour grapes" when I feel they are perfectly valid. I still love this country, though, and everything it represents. Maybe I will add a political voice blog to my collection in the near future. :0)

I have some friends who are as staunchly Democrat as I am Republican, and I am glad to see them enjoying their win. I honestly hope everything goes as well as they all think it will, even though I really don't believe it will happen... lol. In the meantime, I am going to really focus on growing an effective garden, and getting some chickens and cows. If the depression doesn't come, then I will have learned lots of new things. And if it does come, I will at least be able to feed the kids without having to choose between paying for food or paying for utilities.