It's been a crazy couple of weeks, so no updates...until now.

First off, want to draw attention to the comments on my post about the voting rights, where people were talking about testing people before allowing them to vote. My sister posted a comment that made a lot of sense to me...yeah, basically, we COULD test people for basic literacy and political knowledge, but the criteria would be decided by whoever was in office, so it would probably change every 2 or 4 years. Additionally, it would probably require another "test" in high schools and preparation courses to get the kids ready to vote. Honestly, if we're running out of room in school for the arts and sports, then it's not time to start adding more requirements. Good call on that one.

Now, there's been a couple of debates in the last couple of weeks, along with speculation about who brought what onstage with them....this is just getting ridiculous. They call the debates a "draw" for the most part, even though each side maintains victory. I think the least important but most interesting has been the VP debate. Interesting because we don't get to hear much from these people (relatively), and interesting because it doesn't really matter. They become mouthpieces for their candidates for the most part, and NOBODY votes for a vice president. People vote for the #1 guy. Sure, a VP candidate can help/hurt a little, but we're not even talking about a single point increase in the polls.

Tonight is another presidential debate, this one concerning mostly domestic issues. Many people say that Bush has spent the last 4 years spending money in ways it ought not be spent (a big one people mention is, of course, Homeland Security programs). I agree that Bush has made some strange decisions with taxpayer money. As of this year, I am one of those elite that have actually paid taxes. I think it'd be more than appropriate to scale back domestic spending, and the candidate who will make that point will have an edge. Of course, more substance is necessary...which programs will be cut back, and which will be reinforced with taxpayer funds? If we can ditch a lot of the handouts, all the better. If we start spending more on getting healthcare for all americans...well, explain 1) how we can afford that, 2) why it would be better to socialize medicine than simply repair the current situation and 3) where the constitution makes provisions for domestic healthcare on a personal scale. I have my opinions, and I've done my research, so I already realize a lot of the mistakes in this type of spending...I also know which candidate has been talking so much lately about how a social medical program is in his plan.

Taxes...one candidate has promised to raise taxes significantly. The candidate that raises taxes should realize that most of the people who vote fall into the group known as "taxpayers," and that most of them benefitted from the recent tax cuts...and they were all happy about it. Why would they vote for a tax increase? Just a thought. One of the candidates has given significant face time to a few tax plans that would eliminate income taxes altogether, with various means of acheiving this while still paying for current obligations and also lowering the deficit. I'd be interested in trying something like that...

So, there's some things to think about. I should probably mention some football stuff too...I went to see UGA stomp LSU a couple of weeks ago. Seriously, best sporting event I've ever attended. The atmosphere was unbeatable - the entire stadium was on their feet screaming for the whole 3 1/2 hours of the game. Awesome, just awesome...and then...Tennessee tore UGA a new one last weekend. That has to be the biggest full reverse I've ever seen in a one-week period. My opinion? Tennessee got destroyed the week before by Auburn, losing by a large margin of points. At the same time, UGA beat LSU by a WAY large margin. Tennessee comes to UGA ready to make a statement, and UGA comes in feeling unbeatable. Simply put, Tennessee wanted it badly against a big opponent, and UGA didn't worry about it till it was too late - sometime in the 4th quarter. Now we get to play out our hearts against...Vanderbilt? Ahhhh....well, I just hope we don't take them for granted, because seriously, if UGA lost to Vandy, that would end the season. On the bright side, I bet Vandy would start getting financial donations from alumni again ;)

I'm reinstalling the OS on Hilary's computer, adding some anti-virus software, and (finally) hooking it up to the broadband here. Now we can sit next to each other and send instant messages. I'm so ready.