Republicans look like Democrats

I've been watching the convention and my husband and I both realized that the Republican's platform sounded so much like the Democratic platform that there are practically indiscernible. Both want a welfare state, the only difference is that Republicans want to educate slightly more while they are giving away money. Most of what the Republicans say will result in the same policies that the Democrats want, except health care. Don't even get me started on why that won't work. Some of what McCain said was good, but unless he can reduce the size of government, fix Medicare, and cut the deficit, none of it will do any good.

The Daily Show also pointed out the great irony about the pro-life stance of a party that says they want freedom of choice. It seems that neither party makes sense because they contradict themselves so much. There is no consistency! Freedom should be absolute and in all areas of life, choice of school, choice of job, choice of companionship, choice of where you spend money and what you spend it on. America is built on this sense of liberty. It is so horrible to see that religion has permeated politics so much that altruism is now a foundation for both parties beliefs and ideals. What ever happened to the country that was built on the pursuit of happiness?

As for the war, Bush is going to have timelines (yes timelines) for withdrawl set up before the next president takes office, so Iraq seems like a smaller issue than Afganistan. Not to mention the rise of Russia, Iran and China. It seems to me that yet again, neither choice is a good one. And in Utah, it doesn't matter how I vote anyways.

To Teach or not to Teach

So the baby woke up at 4:30, so I fed her and she went back to sleep, but I didn't. I've been thinking of starting a journal/blog, so I decided to write down what I was thinking instead of lying awake. Do I really want to be a teacher? Is this brain that I invested so much money in only worth 30K a year? Do I only want to be a teacher because I think it's a good career for a Mom? Do I even want a career at all? I sometimes feel like there is pressure to work from my husband, but he says he supports whatever I want to do. Does it set a poor example for my daughter to not work. I have no question that I am capable of being an engineer again, and I think I could be a very good teacher, but I don't really want the abuse and behavior problems. I only want to teach kids who want to learn. I really do think that in 10 or 20 years, all classes could be taught remotely. That would be a really good avenue for me. I could write lesson plans and teach from home. I enjoy tutoring and watching children learn, but could that need be fulfilled just as easily from my own children? Sometimes I do feel that my brain is turning mushy because of all of the baby talk and lack of mental stimulation. Another good reason to blog. I'd like to post about all kinds of topics, so it might be fun to see if anyone reads it.
KD