“I’m so fed up, so I’m not going to vote”

Yesterday, we were at the post office taking a picture of my brother mailing in his first ballot, and an man who was just backing up his car to leave smiled and asked what the occasion was.  I explained and he said, “At my age you don’t recognize any of the people on the ballot, so I just voted for Initiative 933 for property rights.”  After I talked with him about how all the candidate races were important and that there were some really good candidates this year, he said, “I stopped voting for any of the candidates a while ago.  The problem is, they promise all this stuff when they’re campaigning, but when they’re elected they don’t do what they said they’d do. ”  He has a point, and I agreed with him, but noted that this year their were some really good candidates running that I knew would do what they promised.  I also said, “If you are frustrated about the government, that’s why you vote, to vote in those that will represent you, to get out the ones you don’t like.”  I could tell he was listening, but from his expressions, he understood, but wasn’t willing to accept it.  He replied, “I’m only going to vote a few more years until my retirement and then drop voting all together, and go fish on my boat.”  I was dieing inside, and said what I could about how voting is important and a privilege, while he was leaving. 

This story is probably happening right now, as I write.  This is something that many are experiencing right now.  So, here’s the answer:  If you are not happy with what’s happening in the government, then the best way to change it is to vote!  By not voting, you are not only giving up one of the greatest and most important powers you have as a citizen of the United States, but you are allowing others to be elected that you don’t want, will make bills that don’t support your beliefs, or raise taxes, or make a decision you don’t agree with.  Obviously some of the people being elected are not the ones you want, but because you give up your privilege, you don’t even help the candidates who will represent you, who have the right focus, and who are zealous to go to Olympia to work for you!  So, vote in the people that will uphold your beliefs and impact the government in a positive way!  Put in the good guys and take out the bad guys!

I don’t have time!!!  I’m busy, I have a family, I have to work, etc.  That’s what this blog is for!!!  That’s what I’m here for!  If you don’t have time, and your friends don’t either, tune them in on this blog.  All you have to do is look for the post subject Voting Recommendations, and follow the bolded words that I have recommended, research about, and see some of them at public meets, debates, etc.  I’ve given you my e-mail if you have questions and I’ve written long explanations on why you should vote for them (if not, e-mail me!).  If you don’t agree in following my recommendations without researching it first, I totally understand.  It doesn’t take very much time to research or read through the Voter’s Pamphlet.  Maybe one night, instead of watching TV, reading the newspaper, or extra things, you could research.  Voting is once a year and it impacts you, your life, your children’s future, and Washington’s future.  Think about it.  I encourage you to vote, and use your privilege as a citizen of the United States and make a difference in your State.

I will post more on this later, time is of the essence.

Mike! McGavick

I went to the Mike McGavick Rally in Belfair last Saturday and I would encourage you, if you can vote, to please vote for Mike.  Dinno Rossi introduced him and highly endorses and recommends him.  He is right on with all the issues.  Please realize that all the anti-McGavick mail is bias and I encourage you to check out Mike’s website (www.mikemcgavick.com) to read his come backs for these (if he has yet).  I will have another post on Mike vs. Maria Cantwell soon, but I would highly encourage you to vote for Mike, who will represent you well in Washington D.C. 

Voting is Crucial!

I received this e-mail for the HSLSA and I thought it was worth posting.  It addresses how important it is to vote, especially Conservative Christians, if we want the right people to represent us. It’s long, so if you have limited time, just read the bold.

“Election time is fast approaching. This November 7th some state and federal officials are up for re-election. Who is elected will determine what freedoms you will keep and what freedoms you will lose.  Exercising your right to vote is crucial. The voter guides described below will help you make informed decisions as you cast your vote. Remember statistics show approximately only 50% of eligible adults actually register to vote. In any given election only about 50% of registered voters vote (that is 25% of adults)! That means only takes about 13% of adults to elect any given candidate. Your vote does count!  

ACTION: To see local candidates answers to the National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) from Project Vote Smart go to: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3420 . On the left hand side of the page you can enter your 9 digit zip code to find information on those who are running for Congress. If you don’t know your 9 digit zip, you can got tohttp://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3421 to look it up. Additionally, you can a 2006 Voters’ Guide on the Washington Secretary of State website at:http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3422 . For a review of the ballot measures in Washington, you can see the 2006 Ballot Issues Guide published by the League of Women Voters of Seattle at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3423 . Please help spread the word about these resources for responsible citizenship! Forward this message to your family and friends in Washington so they can also use these valuable resources. A couple of things to keep in mind: *  For a legal perspective on what activities churches and pastors are allowed to take part in, check out these resources prepared by attorneyJames Bopp: Do’s and Don’ts for Political Activities of Pastors http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3424 and Guidelines for Political Activities by Churches and Pastors. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3425  *  34 of the 39 counties in Washington vote entirely by mail. If your county votes by mail you should have already received your ballot in the mail. For a list of the County Auditors/Elections Departments in Washington State go to:http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3426 . This site will also tell you if your county votes entirely by mail or a traditional polling place. If your county votes by mail and you have not received your ballot in the mail please contact your County Auditor from the list above. To cast your vote simply mail your ballot back to your County Auditor. To be counted your ballot must be postmarked on or before November 7, 2006. You can also drop your ballot of at your County Auditor’s office or other designated ballot drop site.  For more information go to: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=3427 or call the Washington Secretary of State, Elections Division at: (360) 902-4180 or Toll-Free:

(800) 448-4881.

New Article

I posted a speech by Matt Pitchford (with permission) under Articles.  I encourage you all to read and think about it.

Voting Recommendations

These are my recommendationsfor who to vote for on the Kitsap County (35th District) for the General Election, November 7, 2006.  They are in order from the top of the ballot to the bottom.

There are some recommendations that are for the whole state of Washington, so please look over this even if you’re not in the 35th District.

Yes I-920

Yes I-933

No I-937*

Yes House Joint Resolution 4223

U.S Senator: Mike McGavick (R)

U.S. Representative: Doug Cloud (R)**

State Senator: Tim Sheldon (D) ***

State Representative: Marco Brown (R)

State Representative: Randy Neatherlin (R) ****

County Commissioner: Jack Hamilton (R)

Supreme Court: Stephen Johnson

Public Utility District: Lloyd S. Berg*****

All the unopposed you don’t have to vote for, unless you support them.  I don’t think you have to fill out every spot for your ballot to count.  Please tell me if I’m wrong.

*Will make electricity for a company which will boost up the prices.  Also, only Democrats have endorsed it, not one Republican.  For more info, go to my contact us page and post your question.

**Doug in his blurb in the Voter’s Pamphlet was bashing Norm Dicks for supporting the Iraq war.  I’m just leaning on voting for Doug because he’s Republican, but I do not support him for bashing Dicks about supporting the war.

***Yes, I know he’s Democrat, but he’s the best Republican-Democrat and way better than Shattuck.  The only records you can find on Shattuck are in the court for domestic violence… he might have turned around his life and is a good guy now, but Tim Sheldon has our vote and is the right guy for this job.  He’s also been our Representative before, and does an awesome job.  Have any questions? Go to my contact us page and post it.

****Even though he’s a 3rd Degree Mason, you want to vote for him.  He is right on with politics issues and we need people like him in the House of Representatives.  If you have any questions about this, go to my contact us page and post your question.*****He has the experience and has had this job before.  Chris Tibbs doesn’t have as much experience from the little I’ve read about each candidate.  If you know more info about these guys, please comment about it.

For the 26th District (aren’t in order)

House of Rep:  Ron Boehme (R)*

House of Rep: Beckie Krantz (R)

Senate: Jim Hines (R)

*This doesn’t mean I support his immodest (to a conservative Christian like me) campaign mail that he sent out last week (lady with the shoe… we all have choices).

General Election

Yesterday, we received our Voter’s Pamphlet.  I encourage you to read the blurbs of all the candidates.  If you are 18, please vote.  If you aren’t registered to vote, it’s too late to vote in the general election November 7, 2006, but you can still register and then you will be able to vote in the next election!  It’s very important.  Remember, is voting a right or privilege?  Think about it.

26th District people:

I highly encourage you to vote for Ron Boehme, Becky Krantz, and Jim Hines.  For those of you who have received my e-mails, don’t think I have changed my mind and don’t support Trent and Louis.  They did not make it through the primary, and even though I’m disappointed about it, God had something else in plan for the State of Washington.  So, now I give my support to the Republicans who did make it.  Even though I think the other candidates (Trent and Louis) would have been better for the job, I need to still support the candidates who beat them and made it.  I can’t not emphasize how important this election will be.  We are in need of Republicans in the Senate and House and this could be our only chance!  To top it off, we have some really good Republican candidates running.  So, please vote for Ron Boehme, Becky Krantz and Jim Hines. Boehme (www.ronboehme.com) is running for House of Representatives against Democrat Larry Seaquist (www.electlarryseaquist.com).  Beckie Krantz (www.beckiekrantz.com) is running for House of Representatives against Democrat Patricia Lantz (www.votepatlantz.com).  Jim Hines (www.hinesforsenate.com) is running for Senate against Dereck Kilmer(www.derekkilmer.com).

I live in the 35th District:

This will sound very odd and strange, but I highly advise you to vote for Democrat Tim Sheldon (www.senatortimesheldon.com), running for Senate. He’s the best “Republican” Democrat, and is definitely the person of experience you want in our district.  My mom researched him and his opponents and said in an e-mail, “you might consider voting as a Democrat for the express reason of supporting Tim Sheldon for the WA state senate.  Of the candidates (R) or (D), he seems to be the best choice.  The Democratic party is distancing itself from him because he does not vote by party lines.  He voted against the certification of the 2004 recount that placed Christine Gregoire in office.  He also voted against (this year as well as last year) HB 1515 that gave discrimination status for sexual preference individuals. “   He’s running against Mark Shattuck.  My mom wrote in an e-mail, “There is virtually no Internet information on Mark Shattuck, except what may be found (from the not-too-distant past) in the Washington State court records, that is not too complimentary.  Granted, he may have learned from his previous mistakes… Shattuck did serve on the Tumwater City Council, but not much info is Internet available.”

For the House of Representatives, I have not researched Kathy Haigh (D) (no website) running against Marco Brown (R) (www.voteformarco.com) or William ‘IKE’ Eickmeyer (D) (www.ike-35th.com) running against Randy Neatherlin (R) (www.ChooseRandy.com). I do know that Neatherlin is a 3rd Degree Mason, but I haven’t research enough on these two races to update you or say who to vote for.  I would lean toward the Republicans… becasue they’re Republicans.

For Ya’ll in Washinton State:

I encourage you to vote for Mike McGavick (R) (www.mikemcgavick.com).  He is running for Untied States Senator in Washington D.C. against Maria Cantwell (www.cantwell.com)  who I pray, sorry to be harsh, that she will NOT represent us in Washington D.C.

Supreme Court IMPORTANT!!!!!!  For everyone in Washington:

Stephen Johnson (www.johnsonforsupremecourt.com) is running against Susan Owens (www.justicesusanowens.com).   Please vote for Stephen Johnson. Susan Owens voted to change the definition of marriage!  We need supreme court people who will uphold our beliefs and Johnson is the better candidate in my eyes.

To everyone’s disappointment, John Groen and Jeanette Burrage didn’t make it, so Gerry L. Alexander (bad voting record for Christian Conservative beliefs) is unopposed and Tom Chambers (voted to change definition of marriage) is unopposed as well for the supreme court.

Initiatives:

Vote YES on initiative 933 about Property Rights (www.propertyfairness.com).  I analyzed this at the Young Repbulican’s meeting, it is good, it’s about Eminent Domain and, “this measure would require compensation when government regulation damages the use or value of private property, would forbid regulations that prohibit existing legal uses of private property, and would provide exceptions or payments.” This excerpt was from the Voter’s Pamphlet.

Initiative 920 about the Death Tax (www.YESON920.com) .  This is good too.  VOTE YES.  The government wants to tax what you own once you and your spouse (if you’re married) die.  It takes almost half!  The  government is taxing us so much already, why do they have to take away most of what that person had worked for all their life?  Just a thought.

 Conclusion:

Sorry for throwing all this information at you, so if you don’t have a lot of time, just look at the bolded words.  I will update you as the election gets closer if I hear anything worthy to type.

Thanks for reading this,

Betsy

P.S. If you want current Christian political updates I highly recommend Faith and Freedom Network (www.faithandfreedom.us).  Gary Randall is the Blogger and you can be on his e-mail list that will automatically send his blog posts to you.  They are very good and that’s were I get my political spice and keep me on top of political happenings for the day.

Clock problem

The time on all things I’ve posted or created are messed up.  I’ll try and fix the clock, but for now, if it says that I posted something at 2:30am just ignore it. (I don’t stay up that late) *smile*

Betsy