"mute"

Lately, I have been hitting the mute button every time a political ad comes on the tv.

I know that this country is great because we get to vote. We have the freedom to do this and many countries don't have this opportunity. I think that the way politicians are trying to get our votes are immature and waste too much money that our country could use in other ways.

Did you know that Obama raised $66 million dollars in the month of August and McCain raised $47 million dollars in the month of August. That is insane!!!!! We can't balance a budget, we can't make sure that all of the kids are getting the best education because we keep firing the teachers because of budget cuts, we can't figure out a plan to make sure our elderly will have the funds they need in the future, our health care system is definitely not working when companies are the ones in control of what your options are and when the cost increases substantially every year, programs are cut in our state every year because there just isn't enough money...

All that money...going to pay for gas on the planes that they ride in to your town, going to pay the television networks for the time slot of their ad, going to pay for that political ad where the politician will call the other candidate a liar...

Why does this country have to act like a high school when an election is in the future? The politicians argue back and forth in these political ads, they raise money to make more negative ads and do more negative campaigning and then want us to still give them their vote. All of this is just a popularity contest. The person just wants to be your friend for your vote... Whoever is the nicest to the other person should win.

Two of the worst ads that I have seen are here in Minnesota...Norm Coleman and Al Franken. These two men have the worst ads out there. They are basically just fighting with eachother...no real issues are being talked about. Swear words are being bleeped out on the tv...rude comments are made by both men...and ads that talk about who brought hockey back to Minnesota. Are you serious? Is that the biggest issue for Minnesota? You'd better have done more for Minnesota that just bring hockey back in order to get my vote.

Everyone has their favorite candidates and I would think that most people already have a good idea who they are voting for. I know a lot of people are making their decision on one point specifically...I have a hard time with this specific point because this is an area where our country will always be divided on regardless of what the President "thinks" he stands on this issue. Base your vote on the entire picture...our economy that needs some help right now, people that don't have jobs because the unemployment rate is so high, the fact that those that are older in the workforce are being forced out of their jobs because the jobs are being moved overseas, we need to help those that are needing help and have lost everything because of a natural disaster, we need to be ethical with how we are presenting ourselves to the public instead of being so negative. The nicest person should win.

How can I be joyous in the fact that I can vote when my heart feels so heavy and down after I just saw the political ads that have been airing?