Election Day 2010

[PrincessFiona]

On the national level, I'm pleased, despite being one of the dozen or so voters left in the country who supports Obama wholeheartedly. I am very anxious to see what the GOP will do with control of the House. Perhaps it's naive, but my hope is that some degree of responsibility for governing will stop the obstructionism and the whining. I'm also just really curious how the rhetoric of this batch of candidates will translate into actual policies and votes. HOW do we create jobs AND reduce the deficit? I'd love to see some new concrete suggestions. Bring it on.
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This. (though I'm not wholeheartedly for Obama ... I'm not vehemently opposed either.)

[scrub-jay]

I need more results! I'm trying to bone up on the state legislature (before I start working there... gulp), and there are still 4 races that are too close to call!

The thing I am probably happiest about is that all the stupid ballot initiatives here in Colorado failed. The thing I am probably saddest about is Russ Feingold (even though I haven't spent more than 4 hours in Wisconsin ever). I liked him a lot.

Did you hear about Denver's initiative 300? The "Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission"... Seriously, the weirdest thing I have ever seen on a ballot. It was centered around extraterrestrial education and preparation. It didn't pass. Shocking.

[SoonerTexan]

Dallas-ites re-elected a corrupt Congresswoman. Umm...http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.2c049bb.html

I know--what the hell. It's not that surprising though, considering her opponent and her constituents. What did surprise me is that she won easily with 2/3 of the vote.

[Meenah]

Originally Posted by Selu
On the national level, I'm pleased, despite being one of the dozen or so voters left in the country who supports Obama wholeheartedly. I am very anxious to see what the GOP will do with control of the House. Perhaps it's naive, but my hope is that some degree of responsibility for governing will stop the obstructionism and the whining. I'm also just really curious how the rhetoric of this batch of candidates will translate into actual policies and votes. HOW do we create jobs AND reduce the deficit? I'd love to see some new concrete suggestions. Bring it on.

Me too! We are still in Vancouver but did mail in our ballots before we left. DH wants to get a job here and stay here!

But - I am ready to deal with Iran! How, I have no clue.

[Meenah]

get ready to f**king deal with Iran (remember: the scary guys with nukes?

Abigail, I knew we could agree on something political !!!!!!!

[oceanchild]

Did you hear about Denver's initiative 300? The "Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission"... Seriously, the weirdest thing I have ever seen on a ballot. It was centered around extraterrestrial education and preparation. It didn't pass. Shocking.

Yeah, my (current) boss is actually the first review person for any Denver citizen initiatives. Also, the guy sponsoring it came to bring newsletters to the councilmembers once. It all sounds like a joke, but that guy was dead serious. Super bizarre.

[GrayMatterWife]

Yeah, my (current) boss is actually the first review person for any Denver citizen initiatives. Also, the guy sponsoring it came to bring newsletters to the councilmembers once. It all sounds like a joke, but that guy was dead serious. Super bizarre.

An "Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission"? I just don't understand why people want the government nosing into EVERY aspect of our lives. If you want to have an illicit sexual liason with a space alien, why does a commission need to investigate? If that were the case, I'm pretty sure the Commission would have to produce a tome on the whole Kate Holmes/Tom Cruise creepy union. And heavens only knows that we don't need any more commentary on THAT.

[Sheherezade]

Oh, the TomKat thread is always a welcome respite. Maybe if Congress had a TomKat debate ongoing, they could spew some of their venom there and get real work done later. We should suggest it.

[HouseofWool]

Libertarians!

I now have a good chunk of the voting age members of my family in the Libertarian cheering section.

yes, well, they have yet to put forth a viable 3rd party candidate here.

As for the demise of Russ Feingold? As a Wisconsinite - I am not sad to see him go. I firmly believe that term limits are a good thing, and 16 years is too long to hold the same position in politics. He has become less of the maverick he claimed to be the longer he was in office.

[DCJenn]

I still think everyone should be subject to term limits- not two years like the SA mayor used to be (how dumb is that) but also not a lifetime. I'm sorry, if you are drawing down Social Security, (or like my husband's boss, have appealed to congress four times now to extend w/ the military's mandatory retirement) (yes, that's FOUR times, which is eight years) you need to retire. YES, I hope to be just as spry mentally at 90 as I am now. It's not likely but damn that would be great.

The Supreme Court needs to retire everyone when they hit 70. and any congressmen and no president should be allowed to stay in office after they turn 70 whilst in office. When you're 70, as hip as you may be, and as invaluable as your institutional knowledge may be, you're still really damned old.

J.

[Sheherezade]

Let's call this legislation the "shot across the bow" bill - as it ushers in the coming generational war. Honestly, the demographics really do show a staggering difference in voting based on age. 25% of the voters in this election were over 65. That's a first. I'm waiting to see what the reaction is when we start dealing with the deficit issues caused by our entitlement programs Social Security an d Medicare. Even though you pay in as you work, they were never designed to have you work from 25-65 (40 years) and then live off them and get your most expensive medical care free from 65-90 (25 years). I think the original idea was based on a life span of 70 (male) and 72 (female) IF that.

Don't think the 65 plus generation is going to like Paul Ryan's ideas about vouchers even if I do. But, maybe they will surprise me. I think it will be interesting to see what happens as this generation passes in to their seventies.

Oh -- and I think it was the great oceanchild that said "we already have term limits - they are called elections." I've stolen that line many times since I read it here!

[Michele]

I thought I read somewhere that the SS age was set at 65 bc that was the life expectancy then....so if you surpassed that but hadn't prepared for it, you wouldn't be totally screwed. If that's true, then there should've been a provision to increase it accordingly...kinda like a "life inflation rate."

[Sheherezade]

Agreed - and you may have been right. It was proposed and approved way back - when life expectancy was much lower for everyone. I think they should say you get X years of benefits. Use it when you need it. But when it is gone, it is gone. I think retirement age is a very sticky issue because there are many jobs in which you can't work well past 65 (dock worker, electric line man,etc) but we have created a huge sector of jobs in which you CAN comfortably work in to your 70s. So, how can you make a standard rule? Also, what about people that start work at 18 vs. people that start work at 28 after years of graduate school? Like all things these days, it is complex.

[GrayMatterWife]

The Supreme Court needs to retire everyone when they hit 70.

Constitutionally, they receive lifetime appointments. It would require a Constitutional amendment to force them to retire, although many elect to retire.

Although, you definitely have a point. Years ago, there was a Supreme Court justice--who shall go unnamed--who was so mentally impaired that he literally could not participate in oral arguments or write his own opinions. His clerks covered for him for years.

I have to tell ya, though: most federal judges I've met have a very, very hard time retiring. It's a result of the job, I think. It's not a clock-in, clock-out kind of job. It changes the way you think and the way you interact with people. It deeply defines you. A lot of judges just couldn't image existing and not being a judge. It's not so much about power and ego; it's simply who they are.

[DCJenn]

Well, The Supremes need to have forced retirement. (some sooner than others...)

The boomers are going to have a rude awakening as they age. The other thing that mandatory retirement does is allow younger people to move up the ranks and gives more entry level positions to younger people. Right now, there's a log jam in lots of professions.

J.