Why Sane People Need to Vote in the Midterm Elections.

We are in the homestretch, less than one month to go before election day and the volume is being increased in regards to why we should vote for one particular candidate or against another. What we, as the average American should consider is not whether or not we should go out to the polls is what the stakes really are.

The Republicans released their Pledge to America which amounts to nothing more than a return to the same failed policies that led to our current economic situation. They want to give the wealthiest among us huge tax breaks that would add $700 billion to the deficit yet tell those who have been put out of work, tough luck we can't afford to extend your unemployment benefits. In over pages you struggle to find people of color in the pictures accompanying their outline for our future. In the 23 pages of policy points they talk about cutting spending without specifying where those cuts will occur. In fact in a nation that needs to invest in its future there is no mention of any plan to invest in or improve education in this nation. We used to be among the best when it came to measurements of our students abilities in math and science and now we are falling rapidly.

There could be a very good reason they don't want to invest in or reform education, then more people would see the GOP and the Right for what it truly is, and elitist oligarchy. In an era where information is literally at our fingertips, too many people listen to the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck and fail to question their assertions. Then you get bloggers like John Hawkins parroting those points which were provided by Beck and the Koch brothers through their AstroTurf campaigns.

Hawkins made a plea to the low-information voter on why moderates should support the GOP, his arguments are quite literally bunk. He laid out 6 reasons which we will debunk right here.

1. He states that we need checks and balances, that the GOP losses over the last few election cycles have left them powerless. Powerless really? That is why a cabal of 1 can simply state that they object to bringing up something to the floor. They have used parliamentary tactics to strip away any provisions that might upset their corporate donors. (This isn't just the GOP, there are several Democrats such as Blanche Lincoln who are just as guilty of this). The GOP is hoping to cause America to further fail so they could reap political rewards.

2. GOP will restrain spending. He did admit that Bush did a poor job in the realm of fiscal responsibility, though he offers no words of how spending would be restrained. Several in the GOP are talking about cutting or privatizing Social Security, Medicare, Veteran's Administration among other things. It is not that spending is out of whack, we need to repair our tax codes so that they work as they should. There is no mention of closing the loophole that allows Hedge Fund managers to count their income as capital gains rather than earned income and pay almost no taxes. There is no talk of letting the top tax rates return to the Pre 2001 levels which would be fiscally sound. Just remember it was Bill Clinton and the Democrats that ran budget surpluses and had our National Debt under control.

3. He states that we need to end uncertainty that is hampering economic growth. Even going as far to state "Given how poorly the economy has fared with Democrats in charge, doesn't it make sense to give Republicans a shot at it. John the Republicans did run the economy for 8 years. In those 8 years the income gap grew, unemployment steadily rose, budget surpluses turned into budget deficits, 5,000,000 jobs were lost. That is the record of Republican achievement. They took our economy and ran it into a ditch no John I don't think it would be smart to give them the keys back.

4. Repeal Healthcare Reform before it's too late. Yes the GOP would like nothing better to put the insurance companies back in charge of whether you live or die. John you think we have a superior product, Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate, so does Costa Rica. This reform, while far from perfect, ensures that young adults can remain on their parents policy while they transition into the workforce, that yearly and lifetime coverage caps are ended, that insurance companies can no longer rescind your policy when you need it the most over a clerical error. Get real the reform ends the death panels masquerading as the insurance company's underwriting department, and rationing based upon denial of access to specialists.

5. GOP fighting massive corruption? Do you not remember the scandals of Tom Delay when he was in the House? Neither side is blameless in this mess. BTW John the Justice department didn't investigate the issue of the New Black Panthers because the idea was laughable. There was no credible evidence that would support voter intimidation. BTW why didn't the Justice department investigate how the voter roles were purged in Florida in 2000 wrongly disenfranchising many African-Americans, on the order of Katherine Harris. That charge actually has evidence that would support it.

6. We must punish bad behavior. So let me get this straight, the GOP grinds the Senate to a halt, refusing to allow nominees for various agency positions, including TSA chief to come to the floor for a vote, and acting like petulant children who just want to ruin the day for everyone else and you would reward that behavior? The GOP has done nothing over the last 2 years to add appreciably to the political discourse in this nation. They have sought only to sabotage the workings of our government to bolster their own agenda.

We must not sit out this election. The stakes are high. The question you must ask yourself when you look at the ballot is whether the candidate will serve you or special interests. If you are looking at an incumbent, look at their record did their voting record help you or hurt you, if they consistently voted against your interests you vote against them. If they voted for policies that would have had tangible benefits for you, vote for them.

Get out and vote and let us take our nation back from the corporate interests who seek only to bolster their bottom line.