Agreed.

Scrolling through the participants is silly

To me, being an American means so much more then holding a legal piece of paper that defines you as a US Citizen. It were not these US Citizen who came to this continent but Europeans who hoped to find a new future.
So today as many go make their selection in that small booth according their conviction and hope that what he/she does will not only improve a personal future but others as well. Then before you make that choice, consider who you choose will not only effect the lives in America but indirect the world as well.
I wish everyone lots of wisdom in their endeavor and hope for a common ground purpose.
Perhaps the next major discussion here on Patch be about football.

@Fred van der Wal Yeah, I would much rather talk about football. Unless, of course, there are Bear fans around. LOL

@Michael -

What team with a 7-1 record is currently leading their division again?

@Hoffa I see your point. The Pack has not been as consistent as the Bears so far. The Colt game was a fiasco, for instance. Keep in mind that the Bears have to play Houston next and they do have to play the Packers again. The division crown could go down to the wire.

@Hoffa Is there a state statute on the books that gives the right to our citizens to extradite all Bear fans from the State of Wisconsin? If not, what legal challenges would we face if Madison enacted such a law? I cannot see any reasonable objections from anyone in Wisconsin, that is for sure.

TELL MITT ROMNEY:

Climate Change Isn't a Joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZENtH3psXl4&feature=player_embedded

Joe, one more day of you and we're done - hopefully.

Joe Bobby is a paid professional of the Obama campaign. Nothing to see here.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the millions of smart people who voted for
Obama-Biden!!!! We did it!!!!!

We crushed extremism, racism, voter suppression, anonymous money, hatred of minorities -- with sound ideas, moderation and truth!

wlslady and donnaw- Take a valium and stop your constant scare tactics, please. It didn't work for Karl Rove, the radical Koch Brothers and Mr. Adelson, and won't work for you, either.

Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney can now go shopping for new shirts at COSTCO, and Mitt can work on his car elevator in La Jolla. LMAO. Yippee!

Hopefully the country can now coalesce around OBAMA-BIDEN, and not work (like Sen. McConnell had done) mostly for the benefit of one party or another!!! Hoorah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoorah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We WON BIG-TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

U - S - A!! U-S-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh, the president led the killing of osama...ok...
improved relations by apologising or bowing to them...
Directed leaders of al quidea...like every other president...
Stronly worded letters to Iran....
supports every possible group that helps him get relected...
Brought on oblama care...cost= trillion+ for 10% of US citizens..
gave ton of money to auto industry---costing us hundreds of billions for mismanaged business

The President NEVER apologized to anyone out of the country.
He also saved the auto industry and American jobs. American car makers are not expanding.

The rest of your digs are Conservative propaganda not even worth debunking. They have been shot down enough and are just plain whacky.

Joe Bobby is a paid professional of the Obama campaign. Nothing to see here.

ford managed without him...

They actually didn't

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/bailouts-gm-chrysler-were-good-ford-too-alan-113859133.html

Freeforthought,

Yes, they did

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-10/ford-outlook-raised-as-s-p-sees-commitment-to-europe-fix.html

Joe Bobby, go back to Alemeda. The voters in California are more gullible than Wisconsin!

Sigh, looks like I will have to repost my response to Joe Bobby from Sunday:
Troll Joe Bobby from Alemeda, California wrote:
“Thank you, President Obama for your many achievements, despite strong Republican obstructions:”
“+ Led the killing of Osama Bin Laden.”
Navy Seal Team 6 did that while Obama did NOTHING in the situation room

“+ Improved US relationships with most allies.”
By starting his Presidency with an apology tour

“+ Directed killing of several leaders of Al Qaida.”
As was done under Bush-43

“+ Implemented harsh sanctions on Iran.”
Yet they are still proceeding with Uranium enrichment

“+ Brought together coalition to remove dictator Gaddhafi from power in Libya.”
All he did was jump on a Revolution well under way and send up a few drones.

“+ Implemented Obamacare to provide healthcare for millions of people who previously did not have health coverage, and to mandate several health cost-cutting measures.”
Which is now costing an average $3,000 per family (and more to come)

“+ Ended the discriminatory Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in the military.
+ Supports same-sex marriage.
+ Supports the equal pay act to provide equal pay for women and men.”
With the economy as sucky as it is, are these really issues?

“+ Led the nation out of worst recession (gotten into by Bush) in many decades.”
Then why is our economic outlook so bleak, and REAL unemployment around 12%

continued:
“+ Implemented stimulus act to revive economy.”
Which only cost us $110,000 to create each job. Which could explain why our economic outlook is so bleak.

“+ Ended war in Iraq, an unnecessary and unbudgeted war started by George W Bush.
+ Began drawdown of war in Afghanistan.”
Saddam Hussein was a threat with WMDs, so it was necessary to get rid of him. The wars against Saddam Hussein and the Taliban only lasted a few weeks. We are fighting against the next brutal dictator in each of those countries.

“+ Passed necessary Wall Street reform to prevent future financial collapse.
All he did was add more stifling regulation

“+ Helped turn around auto industry.”
All B.O. did was prop up the unions. GM and Chrysler would have been better off to follow Ford’s example

“+ And, much, much more!”
like Benghazi (wait, I thought we were now loved in the Middle East)
Increasing the national debt by 6 TRILLION dollars
Increasing annual spending by 27%
Increasing annual deficit instead of halving it AS PROMISED!

“Let's go FORWARD!, not back to the Bush years!”
Yup, just keep charging forward to the Lenin/Stalin years, they will be so wonderful!

Republican obstruction is a lame excuse for poor leadership. Obama does not know how to lead.

keep telling yourself these things when you go to bed tonight knowing that the free world has a new leader in the morning

@ Craig- I need to tell you, we are not voting for a CEO. We are voting for the President of the United States. These are two very different jobs.

@Craig
Thanks for highlighting many of our President's accomplishments. Your foolish interpretations aside, these are the reasons he will continue to be our President the next 4 years.

we do need a president...to bad we dont have one now...

FreeThought Troy wrote: "@ Craig- I need to tell you, we are not voting for a CEO. We are voting for the President of the United States. These are two very different jobs."

True Free, but the objectives are the same, to improve the condition of the entity they run, business or government. Since B.O. has yet to accomplish ANYTHING productive, he needs to be fired!

John and Troy: That is correct, we are not voting for a CEO. Being the President of the United States IS a JOB- like being a CEO is a job. Obama never had a real job, so it is not his fault he has been unable to perform the duties of the President. Conversely, a CEO knows how to balance budgets and guide a business with proper planning 1, 3, 5, even 10 years down the road. A CEO knows how to adjust as things change from plan. This ability of a CEO makes him uniquely qualified for President.
You are fully entitled to your opinion of our existing President's accomplishments. My opinion is far different, and to be honest I am worried sick that if he wins re election- my life and many other middle class members lives will change for the worse.
We can agree to disagree.
But I am sure we agree that whatever happens; we should hope it is good for our Country. John, I am not your enemy. I just feel four more years of the same will be too much for this Nation to recover from.
I can tell you this: If Romney wins and adds $5 trillion more debt, I will not vote for him again. Our Nation's $16.2 Trillion debt is devastating. When an economy is incapable of creating the same amount in GDP, the US is on the verge of default.
I do not pray that MY man wins, I pray that the right man wins.
In my heart I firmly believe the right man is Mitt Romney.

@Craig
I agree we should be able to agree to disagree. Personally (if you haven't already figured it out yet) I hope that it is our current President. Whatever the result, I hope that the Congress will work with the President to attempt to achieve some results which has been a very absent function the pats 4 years.

John: I actually almost changed my mind four years ago when I cast my vote. I took a few minutes and thought about voting for Obama, as McCain wasn't my favorite man to begin with. I hoped for the right man to win, even if I voted for the other.
If things had improved by now, I may actually have voted for Obama today.
I see things differently than you do- I see things have deteriorated under the POTUS.
Mitt was never the favorite of the extreem right, he is a moderate in my opinion.
Should he win the election, maybe we have a chance at bipartisanship.
We can only hope for cooperation, too much is at stake.

John Feia wrote: "...Whatever the result, I hope that the Congress will work with the President to attempt to achieve some results which has been a very absent function the pats 4 years..."

True John, B.O. has accomplished nothing these last four years.

Which makes me ask the question...Why would you even consider voting for him again???

@Katherine You are right on target!

A CEO is hired to make a company profitable. They have a way of putting proffits a head of people. That is not the job of the President. They are hired to protect and defend the Constitution. Nothing in that document states the country should be profitable. It is there to grant and ensure rights to all Americans.

It is a very different job function. People over profit. We have business for profit. We have government for people.

Troy, get your mouth off of the teat of the taxpayers.

HE - Get your head out of the bum of Fox News

Free Thought Troy - do you not get the point? it is LEADERSHIP and love of county and the Constitution. Romney respects it with Obama thinks it is to restrictive and works around it.

Eagle - I don't know where you came up with that?

The President has spent the past four years trying to expand freedom and opportunity to all Americans. The Republican Party has spent it with its number one priority to make Obama a one term president. Not love of country - victory for the party.

Free Thought Troy- Please give me one example of expansion of freedom that Obama has enacted?

Expand freedom to all americans how? I am actually curious how he has expanded freedom (always had it) and opportunity (always had it) for all americans. Please no talking points about saving the auto industry (had laws to handle that) and bottom up economics (see unemployment numbers vs. new debt).

I don't watch Fox News, I don't watch any TV actually. My news comes from NPR and WSJ.

Brian
Lily Leadbedder Act
Employer compensation for BC
Obama Care expanding Health Insurance to millions of Americans
Repeal of DADT
Hate crimes legislation
Executive discontinue of deportation of immigrants serving in military or going to college if borh in the US & never lived anywhere else

These aren't talking points, Brian. They are facts

Yes, NoThoughtTroy is 12 years old.

There you go, HE!!!

A personal insult. I was wondering when that was coming. It took this long - wow. When it doubt and on the wrong end of an argument - personal attacks and insults. Glad to see the trend continue.

that was a personal insult?!?!
wow...thin skin much???!?

FTT- I thought you said expansion of freedom. Women already had protection under the Lilly Ledbetter Act. Didn't expand a thing other than the filing time. I'm thinking BC is birth control. Already had the freedom to choose birth control. But Obama took my religious freedom away becaus I have to pay for it. DADT, you have got to be kidding. Really? You really have nothing, don't you. Obamacare is the biggest government imposition on freedom enacted ever. Nice try.

Here is a list of more freedoms we have earned - 923 executive orders so far by Obama (bypassing congress and teh constitution)
#10990 - allows gov't to seize control of all modes of transportation
#10995 - allows gov't to control all communication media
#11001 - allows gov't to contol all eduaction, health and welfare functions
#11005 - allows gov't to take over railroads, inland waterways adn public storage facilities.
to many freedoms to list here, look up for yourself. Does this sound like a free country or building a framework to nationalize private industry?.

Lily Leadbedder Act (is it a companies fault if a female accepts a lower offer for the same job?) (If a man makes less than a female, can he sue too?)
Obama Care expanding Health Insurance to millions of Americans (by reducing everyone elses on teh way to a single payor system) NOT GOOD!! Plus high cost and a TAX if you do not comply (FREEDOM TO THE CORE)
Repeal of DADT (This is a good thing? no concensus here)
Hate crimes legislation (isn't all crime HATE?)

FreeThoughtTroy wrote:

"Lily Leadbedder Act"
Free, this just extended the time frame, the guts of the fair pay act was already there. BTW, a similiar act passed the House in 2007, but failed in the Democrat controlled Senate, where B.O. was a member.

"Employer compensation for BC"
???

"Obama Care expanding Health Insurance to millions of Americans"
And it's only going to cost me personally an additional $4,000/year by 2014

"Repeal of DADT"
Really, he's about to decimate the military and your concerned with Don't Ask Don't Tell that was implemented under Clinton?

"Hate crimes legislation"
Free, a crime is a crime. I personally don't care if someone assaults me because I'm white or any other reason. The act itself should determine the punishment, not the motivation!

"Executive discontinue of deportation of immigrants serving in military or going to college if borh in the US & never lived anywhere else"
Free, if they were born here they are already citizens, as detailed in the 14th Amendment. As far as those born elsewhere but having spent most of their life here, I don't have a real problem with coming up with an streamlined citizenship program. However, until they take the oath, they are still non-citizens that need to abide by our immigration laws!

Brian:
Lilly Ledbetter Act - Filing time is the key as wht defence do women have if they don't have knowledge of discrimination? This actually helps the economy as women tend to spend more than men.
Obama never touched your religious freedom. You are welcome to worship as you chose - tax exempt I may add. Catholic Institutions are not obligated to pay for birth control (BC). Insurance companies do in that circumstance. That was the compromise - I know, compromise, what is that to a Republican?
DADT - yes really. After another survey of our military, the repeal of DADT had no effect, thus proving wrong all the critics. We still have the best military in the world.
We may always disagree with Obamacare. If you are that concerned about the cost, then write the Congress and ask for single payer. That will clear everything up.

FTT- Under Lilly ledbetter, she was already not limited by statute and that was ner her argument, and in fact, she said she knew of the discrimination long before her filing. http://blog.heritage.org/2012/10/19/president-obamas-misleading-account-of-lilly-ledbetter-equal-pay-case/

And about Obamacare, Newland v. Sebalius proved that Obamacare violated first amendment rights by mandating that insurance must have abortion coverage, sterilization and contraceptives. The court rightly ruled in favor of Newland, who owned a family-owned business with high Catholic beliefs. There are other such lawsuits as well. It is your right to have an abortion, sterilization or use contraceptives. It is no one else's responsibility to pay for it but you. So that was obviously trying to take freedom away by Obama.

@FreeThought Troy -

The discovery rule already applied to the application of the statute of limitations of the Equal Pay Act of 1964. The Lilly Ledbetter Act basically took the teeth out of the statute of limitations and the reasons behind it (to create an equal, fair, and reliable environment for litigation) - witnesses die or become unable to locate, memories fade, records get lost or misplaced, etc. The LLA was little more than a cheap political pander meant to attract easily influenced, and not very bright women to the Democratic Party political machine.

Catholic institutions that employee people and offer health insurance as an employment benefit purchase group policies from outside private insurance providers. If Obamacare mandates that all policies offered by private insurance providers must cover the costs of contraceptive BC, then that's an additional expense that must be born by the the person/entity that is paying the policy premium - in your example, that entity would be the Catholic employer.

Thus, Obamacare effectively forces the Catholic employer to pay the premium for a policy that covers contraceptive BC. This is fundamentally wrong and un-American. Nothing is preventing the woman from purchasing a supplemental policy to cover BC if she doesn't want to pay for her birth control cash-out-of-pocket - which would actually be the more economically beneficially way to pay for BC, as opposed to insurance.

Get a clue already!

FreeThoughtTroy wrote: "...Obama never touched your religious freedom. You are welcome to worship as you chose - tax exempt I may add. Catholic Institutions are not obligated to pay for birth control (BC). Insurance companies do in that circumstance..."

BC=Birth Control. Apparently somewhere in Free's mind it makes sense to make an acronym out of everything. TJPS.

Free, there are two flaws in your supposition. First, since the employer is paying for a large part of that insurance, they have a vested interest, and forcing them to pay for something that violates their beliefs is unconscionable. Second, there are many, many, many employers that self insure, giving them a larger control over the decision to offer something like birth control. Again, forcing them to do that is simply immoral, and likely violates the separation of church and state.

trouble is the pile of socialism lovers in mad-town and milwaukee...

Trouble is people like you who spew non sensible comments that have no relevance.

@ Keith Best
Your opinions are obviously swayed by idiotic campaign ads. Can you come up with a logical defense for your statements?

Discussion with a leftie...

me: I dont think obama is doing very well as presi..
lefties: you are racist!!!!
me: um, no...i was just saying i dont agree with the directions he is tak...
lefties: RACIST!!!!
me: NO dangit!! I think we had better leadership under..
lefties: racist racist racist!!! and you hate poor people!!!!

@yomammy
Like I said: "Trouble is people like you who spew non sensible comments that have no relevance."

@John Freia

You don't agree that communism/socialism is more tolerated and even celebrated in Madison and Milwaukee???

Has anyone wondered what would happen if all three won? It is a real posibiltiy.

Will the Conservatives here accept this? Would they have that ability? If so, would they even be able to use it?

I don't picture Keith doing a lot of crying. Swearing, ranting, howling about cheating, lying and racism followed up with a lot of drinking, perhaps. I'm just thankful I won't be around to witness the initial bomb blast of the enormous temper tantrum that will, ultimately, go on until...when's the next round of these things?...2014? - should that be the way this election goes.

Troy: I have. It scares me to think about it, will it take us past the point of recovering?
IDK, but I also worry regardless of who wins, it may be too late.
I am not trying to get all 'doom and gloom', but has anyone else felt that it may be too late for the USA to once again become an economic superpower?

I have felt that way for a while, now, Craig. Ever since the Debt Ceiling debacle and the credit downgrade.

Where do we go from here? Is it so bad we are no longer on top of the world? Considering the alternative seems to point to China, I would agree it is a bad thing. A very bad thing.

If we all could agree on the right path to get us back on top, we would not be in the mess we are in now.
I wish it was simple, and we all agreed on the method to get there.

I agree, Craig.

If there are any lessons to be learned from this election, no matter the winners, I hope we can all get to a place of rational discussion and cooperative measures.

On both sides. I know I am partisian on the Patch, but I acknowledge both sides tend to have issues with this.

Troy: What I would like to see is a Government of the people- key word of.
Like jury duty- replace all elected positions with people from a pool. Preserve their job for 2 or 4 years while they serve as our representative. No more lobby needed. No more under the table deals, just plain old common sence.
I bet a lot more would get done.

@Feia -

"Three for the good guys" - so you all voted Republican?

John: Congrats!
Let's hope your grand daughter has a better future ahead.
That is something we all want, and something we all agree on.

@ Hoffa
You crack me up!

A scan of the card is in the picture section. Unlike Jason P. I don't just make this stuff up.

careful- by noticing the picture facts, you will be labeld here by certain people...

I did not say he was a Democrat. He did look like hell though.