I don't want to delve into political discussion on here very often but...

...I saw a review for this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YSY704/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_alp_d3hiob0ETXD9Y

It struck a nerve with me. Why?

I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Harlingen to be precise. It was and probably still is one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the United States. The vast majority of the population is Mexican-American. (persons of Mexican descent born and raised here in the US)

Voters there tend to vote the democratic straight ticket. This has been the case as long as I can remember. Why? There are plenty of reasons, but the main reason is, everyone votes democrat, they have always voted democrat, and will continue to vote democrat. If you don't, you get comments directed at you like, "What kind of Mexican-American are you?" It's almost as if you didn't fall in line with the status-quo, then there was something wrong with you.

This bothered me growing up.

I remember being in the third grade and our teacher had us "vote" for the president. We were in the middle of the 1976 presidential elections and I guess this was a teaching experience, but I think it was also an interesting experiment. Most people were voting for Jimmy Carter, but I remember there were only two of us (I still remember who the other person was) who said they were going to vote for Gerald Ford. (We were all voting the way our parents voted) The mock election was held and Carter won in landslide in our 3rd grade classroom. We voted the way our parents were voting. Why? We didn't know better.

This little exercise always stayed with me. As I got older I realized that the reason the Valley historically votes democrat (for every single little election) is that people are "trained" (for lack of a better word) to vote that way down there. My father normally votes Republican, or if he doesn't like anyone, he abstains. Again, not the best way to make decisions (IMHO) but I can totally understand the reasoning. (Then again an uninformed vote is worse than not voting..again IMHO)

I was a bit of a right wing zombie early on in life (thanks to my dad's influence), but quickly learned that isn't always for the best.

So the point of this post? There are two:

1) You should never vote based on party lines. You should vote for whomever is the best candidate. If you don't know who that is? Don't vote.

I also believe you should stay away from the talking heads. Talk show hosts that are out there to make a buck and get a reaction. They are fanning the flames to get a reaction out of you, and get you hooked on their shows.

It's best if you read between the lines or rather than looking/listening  to their articles. Find a news source that quotes sources, or shows links to data so you can make an informed decision rather than falling in step with the rest of the zombies!

2) Life is what you make of it. The only thing holding most people back is their own preconceptions.

I have a very big issue with our countries welfare policy. Let me first state that welfare is necessary, and for many unfortunate souls out there (with mental or physical disabilities) it's a lifelong necessity. However... growing up where I grew up, there were many people on it that received it for life. Living in the same projects, receiving food stamps etc. from generation to generation. I know this for a fact. Here's a quick sidebar/story:

When I was in high school I was hanging out with a good friend and his girlfriend. We were visiting his girlfriends cousin (I'll refer to her as the cousin) who lived in a local project called Lemoyne Gardens. The cousin was excited because now that she was "knocked up" and 18 she qualified for her own place in that housing development. She got news that she was getting an apartment and what excited her is the fact that it would be in the same building as her grandma, far away from the building her mom lived in.

That's 3 generations (at that time) soon to be 4, that were going to be living on government assistance, and had little if no desire to claw their way out of there. It had become a way of life.

People claim how the Republicans want to get rid of welfare. I'm sure there are a bunch that do. I'm sure there are a bunch that have the common sense to realize that it's necessary, but not at the current level that it exists. People claim the Democrats are helping out the "minorities/less fortunate people" out there. I see it as buying votes. If they really wanted to help them, they would institute some kind of welfare reform. Something short term for those that don't qualify. Something to motivate them to better themselves. Some people, as I saw growing up, were content to settle and take the easy way out.

This author grew up in the same conditions and fought to be successful.

Life is what you make of it. Quit making excuses for yourself. Don't sell yourself short. You can be what you want to be. Just look at our current President!