Facie’s Ramblings

Last month while I was getting my driver's license picture taken, I tried to change my political party affiliation. For whatever reason, my choices were Democrat, Republican, Other, and None. But first, how I got there. I registered as a Democrat when I first registered to vote, just before the '92 election. At that time, I was "kind of" liberal (for growing up in a somewhat rural area in western PA), and pretty much all of my relatives were registered that way, so it made sense. I was not really into politics at that young age, however. As I got into my late 20s, I started to realize I was becoming more conservative, so a few years later, when it was time to renew my driver's license, I changed to Republican. I still remember the day at work when I told my coworker Anne that I was really a Republican. She told me she had known it for years. During the 2008 election, I was on board with John McCain running for president, mostly because I thoug...

This election season, which pretty much started 3 years ago, has been particularly contentious. I can't believe we have another almost 7 months until the general election and then another almost 3 more months until the inauguration. Lord, help us. But what bothers me even more than the bitterness, hate, and name-calling is when people say things like this on Facebook: "If you support _____, unfriend me right now."  If you have just met me or read my blog for the first time, the best way I can describe myself is a liberal Republican. Facebook reminded me a few days ago that my hubby had called me a "bleeding heart liberal" 2 years ago. Not surprisingly, my liberal friends were pleased and said things like "what a compliment" and "thank him." In fact, only one conservative friend made a comment, which was "If the shoe fits..." As I have said several times here, my (somewhat confusing and conflicted) political leanings ofte...

I wish I could do this post the justice it deserves, but I have big to-do list in front of me and not a lot of time. But here goes anyway. Two nights ago, I attended a town hall meeting that Raja , who is running for Allegheny County Executive, hosted. Two days prior, I received a recorded phone from Raja briefly explaining this event. Since I voted for the man in the primary, I had nothing else going on, and free refreshments were part of the evening, how could I say no?! Raja started off the event by asking the small group what they liked, what they did not like, and what they would change about Allegheny County. The answers were generally not surprising. Parks, sports, theaters, education (universities), hospitals, and people were among the likes. Taxes, road construction, transportation (specifically the Port Authority), and many municipalities/governments were among the dislikes. Raja shared with us some of his findings (surprisingly to me, young people in the area listed effi...

Although I am so very glad I won't have to suffer through dozens of political ads for at least a little while, it looks as if I will be listening to, watching, and reading the strong opinions of friends, relatives, bloggers, the media, etc., for the foreseeable future. So many people think their way is the only way. But is it possible there is not just one right way? I can see the beauty of gray, so why can't others? Why must so many refer to those on the opposite side as crazy, extreme, out of touch, socialist, racist, greedy, idiots, morally bankrupt, gun-toting, stupid, lazy, uncaring, religiously fanatical, and smelly? I am only partly kidding about that last adjective, but I do find it sad that conservative and liberal have become "bad" words for many people. I am neither all-knowing nor able to predict the future, so I have no idea how this will turn out. I do find it a little sad that a lot of young people who were so jazzed about the 2008 election did not ...

Ah, election season. Who does not love watching snippets of lies, exaggerations, empty promises, and unflattering photos (good thing I avoid getting my picture taken as often as possible)? I am a regular voter. I try to vote even in the primaries, even when there is not much at stake. After all, about 90 years ago, women could not vote in the US. As I have stated in previous posts, I have taken Jordan with me a number of times, to hopefully instill the importance of this right. But I can see why some people never bother. It seems as if so many candidates promise a bunch of crap and don't bother (or are unable) to fulfill half of it. I remember when Tom Ridge first ran for governor of PA. One of his campaign promises was that he would not vote himself a pay raise. That was all I needed to hear; he got my vote. But, alas, he broke that promise at some point during one of this terms. And I have never forgotten that, as small of a thing as it was. Honestly, I don't remember i...

I hate that phrase. If you start off by saying that you don't want to offend someone, chances are you are going to do just that. In fact, when I hear someone say that, I am usually offended right away. For that reason, I try not to use that pointless phrase, but sometimes it just falls out. My bigger goal is just not offending people to begin with. But I fail at that too. Right here in this blog. Sometimes it is because I am pretty opinionated about something. I don't feel strongly about too many things, but when I do, I tend to beat a dead horse, which means blogging about something a number of times. And if you are tired of hearing about it and particularly if you don't agree with me, then chances are I may have offended you. I am not extreme in my religious beliefs or political views, but yet I think that (ironically) offends many people, or at least those with strong opinions. I am Catholic, but not what most people would consider devout. And by most, I guess I mean...