Maybe my computer is having a brain fart, but when I opened the link, the msnbc page was blank. It just had links to other pages on their site.
I can tell you what the issues are NOT, but the two major parties want these to be issues:
1. Abortion--it will never be illegal again, and how many folks get abortions. I'd like to see some hard research on that.
2. Gay marriage--not important. Many homosexuals live together, and would do so whether gay marriage is state sanctioned, or if civil unions were state sanctioned. Maybe one of the lawyers can comment on this, but it seems that it is perfectly within personal, citizens' rights to go to a lawyer and write a living will and upon death of a gay person, they can leave their entire holdings to their lover, life partner, etc. They can also make that person executor of their estate. As far as taxes go, I think it would behoove most gay folks living together to file separately.
3. Flip-flopping--all presidents, politicos, etc change their minds. All claim that X is their policy and it's unchanging. But if the winds of popular opinion blow in the opposite direction of X, politicos on either side will change their positions accordingly.
4. Tort reform--big issue in my home state, but the press does such a deplorable job of explaining it that no one even knows what in the heck a tort is. Nobody knows exactly how trial lawyers and insurance companies affect them personally.
Also, tort reform packages in most governing bodies and proposed reform packages do not limit, nor aid, one's right to sue.
5. War records--I have commented on the two major parties' candidates respective war records or lack thereof, but I did so only to characterize their personalities and the nature of their respective ambition to either take office or continue in office. In all reality, the constitution does not state that a president must have an exemplary service record or even a service record in the military, hence any person who is a natural U.S. citizen over 35 can be president provided they get enough electoral votes.
6. Patriot Act--niether candidate will be able to pass PA II or repeal PA I. PA I is not, from what I can tell, a violation of any of our basic civil rights.
7. Labor--the recent Bush-junta's initiative to limit overtime pay protections to American workers does not affect the majority of workers. It affects many workers who were not under the overtime pay provisions' umbrella to begin with, i.e. doctors, policemen and women, firemen and women, truck drivers, nurses, etc.
8. Michael Jackson--No thinking American gives a fock about what the size and shape of Jacko's nose is this week. :roflol:
9. Legislating judges--although the Republicans would like this to be a big issue, the judicial branch is distinctively seperate from the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Gov. Judges have the duty of oversight on the other two branches as per our Constitution. Judges DO NOT legislate, the oversee the application of laws passed and do so within the framework of our Constitution and state constitutions.
If a judge in your locality hands down either a judgement or sentence that you do not agree with personally, then vote that judge out of office in your respective local elections. If that judge was appointed, then vote the one appointing that judge out of office in either the local, state, or national election in which that appointer was brought into office.
10. Moving corporations overseas--this should be an issue, but it is not. Both sides of the aisle require monies from corporations to fund their campaigns, and most of these corporations will continue to fund candidates' campaigns. Therefore, either candidate will kowtow to corporations and allow them to move overseas, north to maple syrup land or south to dirty water heaven, Mexico.
Also, consider that many corporations cannot competitively afford to pay American workers what they can pay Indonesian school-children to make Nike shoes. Americans will pay for Nike shoes as long as they are relatively cheap and their pre-approved credit card applications continue to arrive in the mail.
Lastly, even if candidate X wanted more corporations to stay in the United States, it is outside of their power to make that law. By extension, the economy and the solvency of it is not solely in the power of the U.S. president.
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