I know full well that talking about politics is a waste of time because virtually everyone has their mind made up and there is nothing anyone can say or do that will change the already established opinion. But, it makes me feel better to write about things that really bother me regarding the two parties. One of them is Congressman Paul Ryan's continuous gross misstatements of significant historical facts. I won't repeat the list of these in his convention speech, but they were whoppers. Here's the latest.

CBS News' Norah O'Donnell put Paul Ryan's feet to the fire for criticizing President Obama for defense
spending cuts after he supported them himself. The report is found in the Huffington Post. See:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/norah-odonnell-paul-ryan-defense-spending_n_1870369.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular  Here's what it says:

Mitt Romney's "Meet the Press" appearance put the cuts back in the spotlight on Sunday. The candidate said that Republicans made a "mistake" when they agreed to a debt ceiling deal that would decrease defense spending by $500 billion over the next ten years.

O'Donnell did not give Ryan on an easy pass on the issue. "He's talking about you because you voted for
those cuts, correct?" she asked him.

Ryan said that he voted for the cuts because he was trying to find "common ground" with the Democrats
to reduce the budget deficit. He added that he wrote a bill that would have reduced spending elsewhere and prevented "the president’s irresponsible, devastating defense cuts."

O'Donnell continued to press Ryan, saying that the defense cuts were part of the Budget Control Act and that he supported the act. She went a step further and quoted him calling the legislation a "victory" and a "positive step forward."

"So, you voted for defense cuts, and now you’re criticizing the president for those same defense cuts that you voted for and called a victory," O'Donnell said.

"The goal was never that these defense cuts actually occur," Ryan responded. He said that he
supported a sequestration measure, which would have triggered automatic cuts if  the super committee did not reach a deal. O'Donnell said that the act also contained $1 trillion in immediate cuts, including the defense cuts.

"And you also voted for those, and now you're saying you didn't vote for them?" she asked. He said
that the Obama adminisration proposed $478 billion in defense cuts, in addition to cutting about $500 billion in defense from the sequestration.

"Right. A trillion dollars in defense spending, and you voted for it!" O'Donnell shot back.

"No, Norah. I voted for the Budget Control Act."

"That included defense spending!"

However, if you were to ask me the biggest reason I have for voting with the Democratic party rather than the Republican it would be the Republican's total lack of compassion for the most needy of our society.  Former president Bill Clinton said it well in his convention speech:

"My fellow Americans, you have to decide what kind of country you want to
live in.  If you want a you're on your own, winner take all society you
should support the Republican ticket.  If you want a country of shared
opportunities and shared responsibilities – a "we're all in it together"
society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Again, Congressman Ryan leads the the pack with his proposed budget that would gut Medicaid by  third which, of course, hurts poor kids. But, it also cuts two thirds of the money spent on nursing home care for seniors and people on disabilities. And that's just one of the things Congressman Ryan would gut from our budget that directly impacts the poor, the struggling middle class and assistance to those in the greatest need. His proposal is so unfair and cruel that even the American Catholic Bishops have protested that Roman Catholic Ryan is proposing a budget which violates Christian charity. See: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2012/08/the-new-republican-party-only-in-idaho.html

So, am I totally happy with the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress? Goodness no. They have been as bad as the Republicans on several counts, but it is the Republican Congress who decided to engage in a "winner take all" war by refusing to do anything at all that would address the economy. Their hope was the American people would vote them in office and then they would pass any law they wanted. With a "no compromise" stance they created grid lock and a continuing sluggish economy. My fear is their program if they do get in and get control. The Ryan budget and the removal of restrictions on big oil, insurance companies and big business would devastate those in the greatest need. I choose the party whose heart is, at least, in the right place even if they aren't perfect.