I live in the heart of Fox News Republicans. Jim “let the unemployment benefits expire” Bunning and Mitch “bring me money” McConnell are our U.S. Senators. Rand Paul wants to take Bunning’s place and Smallburg is covered in Rand Paul political signs like mushrooms next to a rotting log.

Here’s why I am a Democrat:

• I am against the death penalty. I don’t believe in an eye-for-an-eye under any circumstance.
• I believe in a woman’s right to control her body.
• I tend to take the side of the little guy – even though I spent my life working for the “big guy.” Sometimes because of my position, I was able to help the little guy. That always felt good.
• Marijuana should be legalized and taxed.
• Tobacco should be highly controlled and highly taxed.
• I hate that global corporations can push money off shore and not pay taxes.
• I like clean energy and think government is the logical body to push incentives to make clean energy-efficient and affordable. Blowing the tops of mountains to get to dirty Kentucky coal is wrong.
• Government is a necessary evil. Who else will build infrastructure and collect the money to pay for it?
• I think every American should have access to quality health-care at an affordable price.
• Corporations are not people and corporations should not be allowed to spend money to buy elections.
• The First Amendment is perfectly clear. Free speech sometimes is ugly and hurtful, but it’s better than regulated speech. Burn the flag. Burn the Koran. It’s protected.
• Lobbyists should be forbidden from doing anything but jawboning in favor of their position.
• The Second Amendment should be interpreted in light of today’s culture. There is no need for assault weapons or automatic weapons in the hands of private individuals. Handguns should be restricted to law enforcement officers only.
• Access to fast internet is essential to our regaining our lead in technology. Government should be in the business of providing access to the internet.
• I’m not rich. I’m probably lower-middle class.  I have used government support in the past in the form of unemployment compensation, and I will need government support in the future.
• I think that government needs to monitor what happens on private property.
• Rand Paul is a loon.
• Mitch McConnell has so much power he scares me.

I’ve been thinking about this all week. I could elaborate on each point and there are probably more reasons, but those are the ones that I feel most strongly about. There are things in the Democrat Platform with which I disagree. But I like Obama, Reid and Pelosi and feel they are doing the right things at the right time.

Related:

Way back in my career, I was jobless for about a year, with two kids in school and a wife with no income. At first, I didn’t apply for unemployment compensation because of pride. We lived off credit cards and cash gifts from our parents.  Eventually I swallowed my pride and drove 70 miles one way (uphill both ways) to the nearest unemployment office to sign up. I think I could draw 17 weeks unemployment compensation at that time. As luck would have it, I got temporary work the same week as the unemployment ran out and soon afterwards, I got good position with a bad company that led to a great position with a great company.

Two Republicans – same story as mine… both Obama haters.

One was in top management in a company that went bankrupt during the recent crash because of financial shenanigans. He is 50ish with a wife who doesn’t work and no dependent children. They live in a $350,000 house and belong to the same Haus des Goff as moi.

He wanted to further his education, so he got government assistance. He is now getting money to learn how to fly a plane. (His previous job was totally unrelated to flying anything!) It’s a lark for him. He’s not even thinking of a career as a pilot. He will be a 99 weeker. And he and his wife absolutely HATE Obama and the Dems, and are vocal about it.

Another was a salesman for a firm that supplied stuff to home builders. He has a wife that works for the gummit, three children in elementary school and lives in a $160,000 house. He kayaks and volunteers at an elementary school. He refuses to take unemployment because…

“I am a Republican and I will not be a hypocrite.”

There need to be more Republicans like him.

Nancy left her “knittin’ & bitchin’ ” session at Panera early today because a nurse in an emergency room was bitchin’ about all the poor people that show up. The nurse was also unhappy because her Doc was leaving practice to join Club MD. In her Fox News wisdom, here was was her rant (paraphrased)…

I don’t want to deal with poor people who need health care… my doctor is joining a club that will only serve the rich…I want to go to work for him…the poor people don’t take care of themselves anyway…

It’s people like these that make it hard to be a Democrat in the Land of Rand and the Ditch of Mitch.