A Response to a Like Minded Energy Responsible Democrat

I strongly agree with Lily's editorial and have a few extra things to add. In early 2009, President Obama directed his Secretary of Transportation to issue a mandate towards car manufacturers in the United States which required the average milage of a company's complete vehicle lineup to meet or exceed 35.5 miles per gallon of gasoline by the year 2016. As a Toyota technician, I have already seen the increase in Hybrid vehicles and smaller engine cars. In addition to that, the more efficient vehicles require much less maintenance than larger trucks or SUVs.

Back to your editorial, I agree that using renewable resources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power is the way to reduce power sources that harm our environment (coal, oil, ect.) This will become especially useful in the near future when car companies begin selling electric vehicles in mass quantities. The day is coming where you can plug in your electric powered Chevy Volt or Plug-in Prius and the only energy you are using is from the wind and sunshine. While these solutions are not here yet, the willingness of the government to address these problems and start creating solutions is a large step forward for this country.

The Wide Spectrum of Republican Presidential Nominees

While the Democratic Party has already begun rallying its volunteer base to reelect Barack Obama, Republican nominees are now beginning to surface for the 2012 presidential election. Some familiar faces from the previous election have already declared their candidacy, such as Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Some newcomers to the list are Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty. This is not to mention the very likely nominations of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

And then there is Donald Trump.

There is about a year before the Iowa Caucus, the first step for any presidential nominee, but the fear mongering, mud slinging, and general insanity of the elections has already begun. While it is obvious that some nominees, such as Romney and Huckabee, which are taking the next step in their political career, some candidates, namely Trump and perspective candidates Palin and Bachmann, seem more concerned with attacking Obama on fringe issues (such as gay rights and his birth certificate) than on presenting viable plans for this country's well-being on a larger scale. While I understand the need for a variety of candidates early on in the race, I feel the Republican Party needs to step up and end this farce before it causes harm to legitimate candidates.

The law allows anyone to run for president, provided they have the money and the signatures. Donald Trump will have few barriers to his meeting these requirements. However, his insistence on bringing back the issue of Barack Obama's birth certificate, an issue that respectable politicians have long put to rest, is embarrassing to the real candidates in this race and should be considered an unacceptable publicity stunt. Every time the increasingly ridiculous political media gives Trump an interview (and candidates like Mike Huckabee respond), they are giving legitimacy to his attempt to become the leader of our country. If Republicans want to "take back the White House" from Barack Obama, they need to respect their own party a little more and make sure it is Romney (a more moderate candidate, whose Massachusetts health care program could attract even more liberal independent voters) or Huckabee (a religiously conservative but not reactionary candidate)  who are the ones getting interviewed and sharing their plans for the country.

Polygamy Revisited

This post is in response to Deserah Alvarez's blog post.

I think the primary problem with your argument is that gay marriage and polygamy are inherently different. Polygamy has been outlawed because it leads to abuse of women, both physical and emotional. Not all polygamists are abusers, but the situation lends itself to an attitude about women that is unhealthy: they are possessions of their husband, their sole purpose is to give birth, they are disposable or replaceable. Gay marriage on the other hand as well as being contrary to your argument, is a firmly established historical practice and is between two consenting, loving adults.

America's primary moral is personal freedom. However, that freedom should not infringe on the freedom of another person. This is why polygamy is outlawed by most states and the Mormon church. While I have not seen this program you mention, I do know that popular culture can only affect a person's opinion so much. Just because I am interested in a show about an altruistic serial killer who gets away with murder (Dexter) doesn't mean that I am going to go out and rid the streets of crime one body at a time. My example is a bit on the extreme side but I would venture to guess that after viewing Sisterwives, you do not have a sudden desire to enter a polygamist relationship.