Our country has always believed in fairness and equality. We believe that the individual with the most talent wins the athletic event. We think that the bestwins the contest. We even believe that the best man will win this election! This dear friends, is simply false.

I grew up playing sports. I played volleyball through my high school as well as my college years. If I learned anything I now understand that the best team doesn’t always win. Some of the best athletes I have ever seen were lazy, cocky, and self centered, which resulted in their team being unable to count on them when it came down to match point. Their refusal to place others needs above their own cost their team a victory, even if that team should have won the game.

I am not an American Idol follower nor can I say that I have watched an episode of the show since I was in high school, but I remember becoming angry when someone won who clearly shouldn’t have. Instead of basing the results off of who has the most talent, voters began to ask themselves who was the best dancer, who could wow a crowd, and who looked best in a mini skirt or baseball cap. Voters began to base the show that was all about an individual’s voice, on how an individual looked and acted when in the public eye.

Now, to the most pressing matter we voters have at hand. This Election. We used to have the belief that the best man always wins. Well, not always. I can let go of the 08′ election. Obama was new and cool and just what America needed. We thought that we were racist if we didn’t vote for him and that we would be looked down upon if we didn’t say that he was Americas ‘savior’. Well, four years later and America is in a greater mess than it has ever been in. 4 more trillion dollars in debt, a swiftly failing education system, millions unemployed, and murder wanting to be legalized (oh yes, I said it. Abortion is murder, let’s not sugarcoat it). The best man would be an individual who has a plan on how to work towards defeating our debt. The best man would be someone who cares about our allies (the few we have left). The best man would be someone who wants small businesses to prosper. The best man would follow the ideas and morals our founding fathers had for this country. The best man wouldn’t want to take God out of the Democratic platform. The BEST man wouldn’t allow babies to be brutally and painfully killed when in their mother’s wombs. We have a decision to make. Let’s not just vote for who is the ‘most popular,’ or who has the most swag, or who has the greatest majority of celebrity supporters. Let’s vote for who makes decisions based of what is best for the United States of America. Let’s vote for an individual who has a plan on how to bring us back to being a shining light for the rest of the world to look at for hope. Let’s vote for the BEST man!

Often it can get soooo confusing on Election day on how the voting process actually works…so below is some info I have put together about how it all goes down on Election day!

Voting Basic’s:
Red: Republican (Romney)
Blue: Democrat  (Obama)

The Electoral College is the instituion that is resposnible for electing the President. The Electoral College consists of 538 Votes. Each state is alloted a particular amount of votes depending upon their population.

Current Battleground States:
FL, PA, OH, MI, NC, VA, WI, CO, NV, IA, NH
(Although most don’t consider Michiganand Pennsylvaniabattleground, they usually go Blue)
These Battleground States are the states to keep an eye on because they will be a major factor in determining who is President.

Interesting Facts:
“Technically” the President is not chosen till December 17^th of this year -2012, by the Electors. Though on November 6th the electoral votes fortell the offical vote on Decmber 17th.

The Electors then cast their vote on December 17th and it usually “indefinately” lines up with the popular vote that was established on November 6th.

Who are the Electors?
Generally, the political parties nominate Electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each State, but they cannot be a Representative, Senator or person holding a current office.

How many Electors does each state have?
The Constitution gives each state a number of electoral votes equal to the number of representatives and senators it has. So…every state will have at least three electoral votes because even the smallest states have one representative and two senators

1. To give extremely small states some say in the election.
2. To place a check on the ‘uneducated’ masses. At the time of the Constitutional Convention, many voters could not read and did not have access to accurate information. The framers of the Constitution felt that a check was needed.
(http://712educators.about.com/cs/polisciresource/f/foundingfathers.htm)

***Only half of the states require their Electors to vote for the popular vote winner***

Another interesting Fact:

We are technically a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy….sooo…what does that mean?

A very Interesting Fact:

Let’s say there is a Tiein electoral votes and that neither candidate wins the majority of electoral votes. The election for President is then decided by the House of Representatives, with each state delegation having ONE vote. The Senate would then elect the Vice-President…..

Hopefully this helps 🙂 Now get out there and VOTE!!!!!

My dad has a local radio show down in Colorado Springs that airs Saturday mornings (KZNT 1460am, in case you want to listen 🙂 )….being a mom of a 7.5 month old I of course was awake at 7am when it was airing!

There was a guest speaker on in the second half and he said something that I have been thinking over these past couple days: “Vote your morals and values in this election, not your Party.”

Though I am not Catholic, I found it interesting that just recently the Bishop Diocese of Green Bay Wisconsin, urged Catholics to vote for candidates in agreement with Catholic doctrine on life and family issues, which caused some controversy- his letter also mentioned touchy subjects such as: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research etc…..

A few days ago, I read a facebook quote by a friend of mine that said “I fail to understand the old adage that it’s not polite to talk about religion and politics, when they are two of the most important facets of life.”

I believe we have become so afraid that we might “offend” someone, ruffle some feathers, or start an argument- that we have lost track of what we believe and what really matters. This new wave of “tolerance” has led us to a point of abandoning our core beliefs and even our faith….
I was taught growing up that sometimes people just won’t like you and that not everyone is going to be your friend. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood (my guess is highschool) we become needy…we want everyone to like us…we want everyone to be our friend….and we are even willing to sacrifice what matters most to be liked.

Yes…. above all I was taught to Love people, but I was not taught that I needed to be loved by them. I was taught to have a backbone. To be strong in my faith and to stand up and speak out when I saw injustice….when you do that -you will not always be liked….in fact you may be persecuted for it.

Often, those who are Christians view Jesus as this pacifist. But that is NOT who Jesus was…
Jesus was flipping over tables at one point because he saw injustice in the temple (Matthew 21:12)
He also said: (Matthew 10:34-37 New International Version (NIV)

Amidst the madness of this election I keep hearing a phrase that is truly puzzling to me: “I don’t support _________.” But then I am told that they are supporting the candidate that DOES support what they don’t support.

This makes NOooooooooooo sense……period.

If you are choosing to support a candidate that supports what you are against and yet you still vote for them….you are contradicting not only your values and principles but you are putting into question your own moral character.

It’s literally like saying “I don’t support under-age drinking,” and yet you find yourself buying alcohol for minors.

It’s literally like saying “I believe in being faithful and loyal to my spouse” and yet you are having an affair.

It’s literally like telling your kid “Don’t cheat” and yet you are cheating on your taxes.

It’s literally like saying “I think eating meat is inhumane” and yet find yourself secretly ordering a “Big Mac.” 

It’s literally like saying “I believe in protecting animals” yet you place your bid in dog fights on the weekends.

It’s like saying “I don’t believe in abortion” and yet you are voting for the candidate who does………….

Literally……..

I love chocolate chip cookies and my husband does too, so when I make these I know they will be eaten! I like a cookie that is somewhat crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy inside. I found this recipe and thought I’d pass it along. Great for baking on a colder day 🙂