Before you read this list (and I hope you do) – full disclosure – I (mostly) land on the conservative side of the fence, am married to a former military pilot, and currently have members of my family serving you in the military.  Having said that, I thought a list of things I believe might be helpful for those on the other side of the fence/more liberal thinkers to understand why I might say, think, feel and write some of the things I do.

So….here we go…..I believe:

1.  That a person should be responsible for their own actions.

2.  In a woman’s right to choose (provided that my tax dollars don’t pay for on-demand procedures).

3.  That whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons (h/t to General MacArthur).

4.  That we should trust but verify what a leader says at the negotiating table.

5.  That when a leader no longer allows what they promised to be verified then we should no longer trust them.

6.  That handouts given without strings attached for someone also to do their part and take responsibility for themselves are a complete and total waste of taxpayer money.

7.  That there are people out there that actually feel entitled to get a share of the rewards someone else garners for their hard work and sacrifice.

8.  That when someone is successful, we have a choice to either say, “Good for him – how can I get there?” or “Where’s mine?”

9.  That the “Where’s mine?” attitude of entitlement and the fact that is being rewarded is a lot of what’s wrong with our economy.

10.  That Congress, which makes the laws and is responsible for oversite of Fannie and Freddie, is completely responsible for the mess we are now having to deal with.

11. That Barack Obama is a socialist (not that there’s anything wrong with that if you agree with him).

12.  That China, Canada, France, and the UK are proof that socialized medicine does not work.

13.  That all our entitlement programs need to be overhauled and computerized to cut down on fraud, redundant jobs, and waste.

14.  That to make promises to dismantle our defenses and cut defense spending in a time of war are very, very dangerous.

15.  That if someone were to to actually follow through on #14 (if elected) this would be exponentially dangerous.

16.  That no matter what they say, certain countries will always revert to form after they’ve received all the concessions they were looking for (i.e., Iran and N. Korea with how they handle things on nukes).

17.  That we should have removed Saddam.

18.  That Saddam gave aid and comfort to the families of Hezbollah homicide bombers and housed Al-Qaeda leaders in his country before we invaded (Al-Zarqawi was in Iraq when we invaded).

19.  That we went about the Iraq thing all wrong and we should have listened to Powell on that.

20.  That people who have had a bad run of luck should be helped up, but not held up indefinitely in the absence of an able person doing the work to help themselves out of adversity.

21.  That we should call “tax rebates” to the 40% of Americans that wind up not paying any taxes at all what they really are – welfare checks.  Paid by those who actually pay taxes.

22.  That those who live with constant guilt for being successful in this country and think they and others could afford to pay  more – should.  Pay more tax money than they owe, that is.  It’s called walking the walk.

23.  That the vast majority of Americans are good people with good hearts.

24.  That those who don’t believe this haven’t taken the time to review the statistics of how much normal people give to charity vs. how little left-leaning elitists do.

25.  That all illegal aliens should be registered and thumbprinted, should pay taxes on the money they earn in return for the services they receive as a resident in our country, and should be given a fair path to citizenship because we can’t ignore the fact that they are here and making contributions to the community.

26.  That we can’t ignore that they are also a drain on our communities and medical facilities when it comes to the entitlement programs they draw funds and time from.

27.  That Obama, at his core, is not such a bad guy and he really was trying to do what he thought he had to in order to help people.

28.  That it bothers me he was willing to overlook so much bad in the people he worked with to make that happen.

29.  That Chris Dodd should be investigated as part of our look into Fannie and Freddie since it was his committee that refused to look at legislation that was meant to change oversight rules and hopefully avoid what’s happened.

30.  That’s it’s really awful how someone who comes down on the side of life is so feared, hated, and demeaned by those that differ with her beliefs.

31.  That I’d rather have someone who values life in line for the big chair – making those tough calls with regard to military action and the lives of our troops.

32.  That anyone who thinks time spent leading a military squadron does not count toward executive experience has obviously never spent time inside a squadron.

33.  That parents should be allowed to have a say in which sex-ed classes their kids attend and school officials should never be allowed to teach certain things without parents having the opportunity to opt-out for their kids and teach certain sensitive subjects on their own terms at home.

34.  That a baby who remains alive after an abortion should be given proper medical treatment and not thrown away in a closet and left to die – even though this might be “invonvenient” or “confusing” for the woman who chose to end that life.

35.  That we’ve been at war with the terrorists since before Clinton was in office and I wish he would have acted like it.

36.  That every child should be given access to a decent education, regardless of where they live.

37.  That we should trust but verify (with tests) that kids are actually being taught and are learning the material.

38.  That teachers shouldn’t be given a free pass that they know what they’re doing just because they’ve been teaching for x number of years.

39.  That teachers who can’t pass basic subject-related tests should be given the chance to find another profession.

40.  That Sarah Palin is not as evil or inexperienced as some would like you to think.

41.  That no experience could possibly prepare anyone for the Presidency.

42.  That people should not let others form their opinions for them, but they should look at what both parties actually said and did and then draw conclusions based on facts.

43.  That you should vote for whom you trust to fulfill the things you think are important to America – whatever they happen to be.

44.  That when people get angry, they start yelling and stop listening.

45.  That when people start yelling, it’s likely that what they have to say will not be heard.

46.  That people should have discussions about records and policies and not make personal attacks and resort to name-calling, because that is never helpful.

That is all.  For now…..

1.  It pleases me that McCain came out with a plan to address the situation BEFORE the news came out.

2.  It worries me that Obama did not, and still has not said what he would do if he were president.

3.  I really, really hope they just don’t give Paulson a blank check and let him spend money wherever he wants to without some sort of oversight.

4.  The oversight should be very, very quick and should not involve lengthy senate hearings or testimony.

5.  I don’t know how they will do this because I don’t think congress has the ability to do anything quickly due to the fact they ALL look for face time and political gain in everything they do.

6.  I’m all for keeping people in their homes – IF they can afford a mortgage payment.  This might sound cold, but there is a small percentage of people late on their mortgages who had no business buying a home in the first place.

7.  They should restructure loans with fair interest rates and no closing costs for those that have an income to support a house – they should absorb the bad loans to those that absolutely cannot afford a house and help them move to an apartment or other rental property.

8.  So we can move on and get out of this mess – not to reward their bad decisions in getting the bad loans.

9.  There should be legislation banning predatory loans so this never, ever happens again.

10. I really wish people would not continually try to get something for nothing, others would stop taking advantage of this behavior, with both groups then expecting the taxpayers to foot the bill for their behavior.

11.  There should be a law that says those with no or little income should not be given the opportunity to live WAY beyond their means.

12.  This would include making it illegal to give high interest rate credit cards to people that could not afford to make payments on them on their best day.

13.  Do I like that it comes to this?  Where authorities need to step in to stop lenders and consumers from making bad deals?

14.  No.  I rarely root for more government control over our lives.

15.  But in this case…since we have a situtation where our national debt is doubled over the collective irresponsible behavior of individuals and large lenders….something has to be done to save us from future bailouts and more debt burden for us and future generations.

16.  This will get messy.

17.  But luckily there is little time for posturing by congress.

18.  It’s my guess that Obama will come out with a plan for what he “would have done” after the bailout legislation has been passed.

19.  What do you wanna bet he is conveniently gone for the vote?

20.  If he does not vote, I think that move would be politically motivated so he can spin his opinion either way depending on the reaction of the public.

21.  Sad that I think that, but it is very probable when you consider his past voting record on some hotly contested issues.

22.  I have my DVR set for the debate this Friday.  We shall see what they say then.

I know, it’s hard to believe McCain was right about Fannie and Freddie years before our current crisis.  And sometimes it’s hard to figure out what actually happened when you watch all the various newscasts – network and cable – out there.  So I did some searching.  The actual congressional record is not hard to find.  It’s right here, in fact.  From May 2006.  Following is the critical excerpt from John McCain’s remarks:

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator’s examination of the company’s accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs–and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO’s report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO’s report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

You can follow the link I’ve provided and see for yourself.  I don’t understand how some can say McCain is to blame for this mess when he tried to get things back on track years ago but his efforts were thwarted by a democratic party line vote in committee.

Of course, I don’t understand a lot about what’s going on right now.  But I do understand all taxpayers are paying the price for congress’ inability to get things done under its current leadership.  After all, this happened on their watch and under their supposed oversight.

Sometimes I think voting correctly for senators and congressmen is more important that who sits in the big chair…especially when stuff like this happens.  I’ll be looking closely at all the races on the ballot this time around, that’s for sure.

Do I like the idea that all of our tax money will go to bail out institutions that made bad loans as a result of lax lending practices and individuals not paying their bills for whatever reason?  No.

Do I think Joe Biden is sincere when he says it’s patriotic to pay more taxes when not only does he give basically nothing to charity out of his millions, he also does not take advantage of the fund that’s there for people who feel the need to pay more taxes than what they owe?  No.

Do I have confidence in congressional leaders (i.e., Harry Reid) when they say, “Nobody knows what to do” and declare they will instead do nothing to try and help get the financial markets back on track until after the election?  No.

Am I looking forward to the debate next week when a certain person (hopefully) will have to answer some tough questions on his own without a teleprompter?  Hell, yes!

Now that we have two candidates nominated, I hope people are actually paying attention to the differences in plans and reactions to crisis.  I mean, when the bailout for AIG was announced, one of the candidates wasn’t even willing to make a public comment.  What, did the polling not get back in yet for what he should say?  Did he not get the text on his Blackberry?

I think it’s time for another one of these lists, since I can’t seem to come up with anything really coherent to say.  So here goes….

1.  Ike’s a bad guy.  But he didn’t really seem to make his presence known here in Dallas that much.

2.  Good thing, because The Boy had his first debate tournament this weekend.  Semi-finals on his first go.  Not too shabby.

3.  Also, he looks good in a suit.

4.  I made curtains for all the windows in our kitchen over the past week or so.

5.  Did you know it takes a long time..I mean a REALLY long time to prepare for a debate tournament?

6.  Okay, enough of the small talk.  I gotta talk a little about politics.

7.  Why do some people hate…I mean HATE Sarah Palin or merely the idea of a Sarah Palin?

8.  What’s so wrong with a successful working woman having five kids and conservative views?

9.  How does that ruin it for NOW-oriented women?

10. I mean, unless NOW is way more about abortion rights vs. the rights of women in general, that is.

11.  Because otherwise, why would they be hating on her so bad?

12.  Why is it called a “tax break” when people that don’t pay ANY taxes at all get a refund check?

13.  Isn’t that just a welfare check?  Or a wealth redistribution check?  I would really prefer it if politicians would call things what they actually are, and if people would realize they are really just on the dole maybe they would try to do something to get off of it.

14.  Sorry, I forgot.  It’s much easier to remain on the dole.  My bad.

15.  But I’m not a big fan of increasing wealth redistribution checks.  Can you tell?

16.  As I’ve said before, I’m all for giving someone a helping hand when they’re down on their luck.

17.  I don’t even mind the government helping them with health care or living expenses if they are in a bad place.

18.  But if they want free health care merely because they chose to buy a new flat screen T.V., new computers, expensive clothes, and two new cars they can’t afford….then I’m not a big fan of paying the bill for people that could afford to buy health insurance but chose to buy other things instead.  People that make bad decisions should experience the consequences that result from them, but people that are in a bad spot due to outstanding circumstances deserve a helping hand to get back on their feet.  At least, that’s what I think.

19.  Congress really screwed up when they used their oversight to allow Fannie and Freddie to lower mortgage requirements and make REALLY bad loans to people that had no business buying houses.

20.  I don’t think most people realize it’s the democratic congress that has oversight responsibility for those institutions.

21.  I do believe it’s true that some people didn’t know what they were signing.  But I think many others were just trying to get something for nothing.

22.  And now we ALL will pay the price for poor management by congress, shady guys making the deals, and people defaulting on their loans instead of restructuring them when they were warned their rates would go up.  That makes me really angry.  And somehow congress is blaming the administration for this…and it’s working with the help of the mainstream media.  I wish people would pay more attention to what’s really going on vs. what biased reporters say is going on.

23.  If socialized medicine is so great, why do Canadians, Chinese, U.K. Citizens, etc. come to America if they can afford it and receive treatment here?

24.  Since when did we refer to illegal immigrants as Americans?  Oh…right…when we (well, you know….he…) started adding them into the tally of “Americans without health insurance.”

25.  Did you know that Sarah Palin never banned a book?  That all her ear mark requests are in the light of day instead of hidden at the last minute at the back a bill?  That a state trooper was never fired, but his superiors were notified that he had made death threats against Sarah and her family and he is still a trooper?  That her daughter’s personal life is nobody’s damn business?

26.  But it is true that she got some facts wrong about how much energy Alaska provides to the U.S.  And she did list the Governor’s jet on eBay but it never sold there.

27.  The bottom line is she’s a politician just like all the others currently on both tickets.  The difference is has she done anything?  Did she confront corrupt politicians in her own party, create a surplus in her state’s budget and return tax money to its citizens?  Is she a reformer?  Do you think she has the intestinal fortitude to face down Putin?  How long would it take her to make a decision vs. your choices on the other ticket?

28.  There are people out there that will not vote for McCain based on Palin’s personal views and the fact that she is a woman, no matter what happens.

29.  But there are a lot of people who will vote for McCain and Palin because they want people in the white house that don’t spend so much time nuancing a decision that they lose the chance to protect us or to make a deal that will benefit all Americans.

30.  That’s something to think about.

31.  When I vote, I try to vote based on logic, records, positions, facts, and past history as it relates to proposed policy platforms.

32.  But there are a lot of people out there who seem to make their voting decisions based on emotion.

33.  During the primaries, someone told me they “felt good” about voting for Obama.

34.  Let’s face it…I’m not a big fan of wealth redistribution, socialized medicine, or a systematic dismantling of our military, especially with what’s going on with N. Korea, Russia and Iran.  If you’re a pacifist, I guess this is a good plan.  But it scares the hell out of me.  You should follow the link and go watch the video if you have about a minute.  I feel it’s always better to see for myself all the information this is available.  You won’t see that video on the liberal cable news or main stream media stations.

35.  I wonder if they bought Tina Fey a rifle and a flag bikini to wear for the Sarah skit tonight?  I bet it will be funny, whatever they come up with.

Okay, I’m done ranting.  If you made it through the list, at least you still have an open mind and want to know what other people think.  So that’s a good thing.  Keep reading and watching all different views, and I will do the same….so we can make our voting decisions based on facts vs. feelings.

Mmmmmm…nachos and Irish beer.  Jealous?

I mean, other than the fact that Gustav did not cause nearly the damage expected.  Although there IS damage, it seems to be manageable and there appears to be enough government support and management to handle it.

Now….for the good part.  I know many probably did not sit through any or all of Fred Thompson’s speech at the RNC wherein he detailed the many experiences and virtues of and hardships suffered by John McCain.  It was all definitely worth noting and hearing again.  Nobody does it like Fred.  However…my favorite part of the speech follows:

Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

They tell you they are not going to tax your family.

No, they’re just going to tax ”businesses”! So unless you buy something from a ”business”, like groceries or clothes or gasoline … or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small ”business”, don’t worry … it’s not going to affect you.

They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the ”other” side of the bucket! That’s their idea of tax reform.

You can read the whole speech printed in the online Financial Times here.  I especially like the bucket analogy….where do people think the money businesses need to pay the higher taxes will come from?  I wish more people would think about that.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I believe in lower taxes which lead to more tax revenue if, spent wisely, can benefit all of us.

Now, Joe Lieberman was no slouch either.

I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party.

No truer words were spoken.  Country matters more than party.  More of us should remember that.  You can read Lieberman’s whole speech here.

Sadly, I fear not very many angry people in this country took the time to watch or read either of the speeches tonight.  I, however (having seen or read all the major speeches from the DNC because we can’t truly form an opinion on that which we have not experienced), am glad to see the RNC finally begin to have its half-week in the sun.

Get ready.  The personification of Obama’s rural republicans that “cling to their guns and religion” will speak soon. And she is a bad-ass who knows how to field-dress a moose.  She has stood up against corruption in her OWN party and won and she is NOT afraid to get her hands dirty.

Oh, yeah.  A good night altogether.  But seriously, Fred Thompson is the king of delivery.  Even if you don’t agree with him, his speech is at least worth the few minutes it takes to read it.