political patronizing

i will admit, upon first hearing that sarah palin would be the republican vice-presidential candidate, i was intrigued. todd even asked if i may "switch over" due to my love for hillary clinton only really because of the fact that she is a woman. i typically do not voice my political views and truly appreciate the fact that everyone has their own opinions. so in writing this, i am not trying to change anyone's opinions...i am truly just voicing mine. i commend sarah palin for her achievements, especially in regards to the fact that she is a devoted mother, so truly my issues are not with her but with the people that chose her and the reasons they did.

at this point, i feel like the choice to chose palin, though exciting to me at first that a woman could be vice-president, was a patronizing choice. i think that she was chosen to only distract voters and as they said "shake up the ticket." at first glance, i thought she could possibly represent someone such as me being a mom, but now i am thinking i was not further from the truth. putting the governor's jet on ebay and, as a self-described hockey mom, she said "how could i be the team mom if i was u.s. senator?" when asked why she did not run for the u.s. senate in '04, seem like things me or my friends would do. and as pointed out by my grandmother, palin even resembles my sister. even though, i am finding that she truly does not represent what i am for.

ENVIRONMENT

~palin does not believe in global warming and that the environmental problems are manmade

~she opposed federal listing of the polar bear as an endangered species warning it would adversely affect energy development in alaska

~she is an avid hunter in her spare time and considers it her hobby

WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S ISSUES

~does not believe in a women's right to chose and states that she is "as pro-life as a candidate can be."

~believes in an abstinence-only education

~does not believe in teaching the theory of evolution in school, but creationism

~supports gun safety education for youth and the right to bear arms including hand guns

POLITICAL VIEWS

~she does not use the governor's private chef, however she charged the state per diem for the 312 nights she spent at home eating dinner ($16,951.00)

~believes in a business model approach to healthcare where the private market controls cost and access, with little protection for consumers

at this point in life, these are the issues that affect me and my family. the fact that a woman was asked to run as the v.p. candidate due to, in my opinion, the fact that she is a woman and not based on her credentials, is a step back for women and quite frankly an insult. if they were going to pick a woman to just pick a woman, i have plenty of republican friends that would have loved to have been considered!