Ask Madden

OK, this post will serve as a public service announcement. If you don't want to be educated/informed/intelligent/wise, please stop reading. This post will discuss American politics at a very basic level (and how I see fit to explain it). First, allow me to tackle my political orientation. I am a democrat, most positively. This, however, does not mean I am a hardcore leftist, nor does it mean that I am a "bleeding heart, phony liberal," (anyone that had AP with Mamma J should know what that is an allusion to). What it does mean, however, is that I: support a woman's right to choose, support gay marriage with full benefits, oppose the military's "dont ask, dont tell policy," support giving gay couples the right to adopt, support expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation, support cutting military spending, oppose the missile defense system, oppose drilling in ANWR, support developing alternatives to fossil fuels and more efficient automobiles, support increasing taxes on "gas guzzlers," support a more centralized system of health care, oppose the patriot act, oppose entering in unnecessary wars, support sticter gun control laws, support more funding to public schools (especially those in inner cities), support a strong protected social security system, support eliminating the Bush tax cuts to the rich and giving the tax cuts to the people who need the money more, and finally, I fully support manned exploration of space and increasing NASA's budget. Contrary to what is popular among most democrats, I oppose affirmative action and give qualified support for the death penalty (only for cases of murder or violent rape and only by lethal injection).

Perhaps now I should discuss my personal opinion (I repeat, my personal opinion) on why the Republican Pary has less of a future than the Democratic Party. Studies show that the vast majority of young people have a majority of beliefs in line with the ideals of the Democratic Party. Therefore, I see little (or at least less of a) future in the Republican Party several years down the road.

Now, for the public service announcement. As the Democratic Primary approaches (and before long the November Presidential Election), I urge anyone who is 18 or will be turning 18 in the next six months to register to vote. Vote Democrat, Vote Republican, Vote Independent, Vote Green...Hell....just vote. It's the least you owe to yourself and your future. I cannot stress the importance of an educated voting populace. So if you have a snow day (which is looking likely for today/tomorrow) please take time to learn about the various Democratic National candidates and see how they compare to Bush. If you feel they don't, then fine, vote for Bush. However, if you would like to see a change...by all means, register to vote so you can help make that change happen. For information on the candidates (as well as on Bush) visit this website: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/issues/index.html . For information on how you can register to vote, go here: www.yourvotematters.org .

I urge everyone to leave a "Holla Back" to respond, reply, berate, complain, and at least let me know you've read my public service announcement. Thanks.

This has been a public service announcement. And just to spice things up a bit, I will inform you of my sexual addiction of the week: Angelina Jolie