Hey, we’re all busy these days. I have two elementary school age children who need walks and rides to school and activities. I also have two part-time jobs (and am seeking a third). I help with homework, clean the house, do the laundry, volunteer, lead a Girl Scout troop. And if I sit down, my silent alarm goes off and somebody asks for something. It never stops.
So it’s hard for any of us to find time to help out with the campaign of our favorite candidates. Most often, I’m just a walking billboard!
But last week at Trader Joe’s, I think I helped one of those famous Undecided Voters decide and it inspired me.
My cashier, a 20-something woman, very friendly as they all are at that store, noticed my "Redheads for Obama" button. She told me she hadn’t yet decided whom to vote for so I jumped on in. I’m one of those "high information" voters, I might have a good answer. "Well, what is your pet issue?" I asked. Her answer, "The environment."
That’s easy, I thought. I started with Global Climate Change and "Drill, baby, drill." If we spend another ten years drilling and not concentrating on getting completely off fossil fuels, our climate will be beyond help. There is no good to be found in continuing down the path of burning fossil fuels as a "stopgap," we must change our way of life into one that is sustainable.
McCain has consistently voted with his friends in the oil industry and we don’t even need to discuss Sarah Palin’s ties to oil profits, do we?
My cashier seemed convinced. I hope so. But what she said next really made me go out and do something. She said, "I wish there were one place I could go to compare the candidates’ positions on the issues."
So I went home and asked around. It turns out that there is a great website, Ontheissues.org, that does that very thing. And now I have somewhere to send anyone who has questions about any candidate for any race, nationwide.
Oh, and nowadays, everyone at Trader Joe’s calls me "The Lady with the Button." Cool.