Political positives.........

I thought I'd get this post out of the way. I actually saw a couple of things that I saw that Obama was doing that I actually was happy to see, so I thought I'd go ahead and voice my approval fully knowing that I'll likely hate some of the economic blunders that he's expected to make in the coming months.

1. Full stem-cell research. The religious right has gone extremist-nutty in trying to defend their opposition to this kind of research. I really see no downside. Many people will benefit from the expansion of stem-cell research.

2. Close up Guantanamo Bay prison. Yes, there are a lot of nasty people there, but they deserve to be put on trial rather than being held just for the sake of holding them. Sure, some may go free, but that's the way things work. It should also put the U.S. in a positive light internationally.

3. Get rid of old Democrats who are committee chairmen. When you've got 3 guys over 80 years of age as chairmen of a committee, something is amiss. Robert Byrd is 90 years old and doesn't even chair all of the meetings in his committee. It's fine to have an 80+ year old legislator, but keep them out of the leadership roles. They don't have the stamina to do that kind of a job effectively.

Oh, and a note to the Republicans as they prepare for the upcoming elections in 2010 and 2012. My main affiliation is to the Republicans. The reason is that, last I checked, we were 'conservative'. There should be one plank in your platform: Cut costs and balance the federal budget. You'd be shocked how many people would actually support a candidate that would make that his top priority.