I've been surveyed

     President Obama (via the Democratic National Committee) sent me a survey today.  He/they wanted me to rank his/their performance on various "issues" that he/they had chosen to statistically rank. The survey is NOT anonymous - it has my name & address on it.  It was up to me to let them know I am a female.

The final section of the survey left some blank lines for comments about the president, the party, or the issues our nation is facing.  Here is what I wrote:

"The federal response to the BP oil spill has been a farce.  BP never intended to cap that well until they had their "relief well" drilled.  That's been clear to me for months now, and I am neither a scientist nor a politician.  I'm more disgusted with the "watchdog press" for not yapping about this, than what I am with Congress or the President for just using existing laws & saying BP has to pay.  But whatever the gov't's reasons -- you did turn a blind eye & let the pollution continue (in a very Republican manner, it seems to me).  Shame!"

... On second thought -- guess I won't mail back the survey.  Ranking a total of 13 issues in order of their priority is something I am not pleased with my answers to.  Several categories were repetitive actually. We had the economy, unemployment, and regulation of financial institutions & markets.  I have regulating institutions & markets #1, lowering unemployment #4, and America's Economic Situation #10.  Well, if I'd rated them all way up there, then Energy Independence and Fighting Terrorism couldn't have been in the top 3.

... Okay, on third thought -- maybe I will mail back the survey.  I just think that 3 categories that are all the same kind of skews the stew.  Ah well, they will have their statistics once we've all mailed back our surveys.  But how do they even know if they've got the mind of the people if they don't realize that they may not have asked the right questions?

Afterthought -- Back when Clinton was first elected, I had written him a letter (regarding his pro-abortion position).  He sent me back a response that was probably his pat answer to pro-lifers like me.  And for months thereafter I was CONSTANTLY being surveyed by the "President's commission on this- or-that" until I finally started to refuse to participate in their surveys.  These were phone surveys at the time -- and at that point, I had NEVER voted for a Democrat in my life.  At least this survey is by mail, and I did vote for Obama.

Just so you know, I'm pretty sure the democratic party doesn't actually know I voted for Obama (unless they read my blog).  They've been hoping to get me to donate to their cause ever since I voted in the Democratic primary the year George W. Bush ran the second time. Bush already had the Republican nomination as a done-deal.  I wanted to help choose the Democratic candidate, in case the dems would win the election that year.  In Michigan, you can vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary -- not both -- but you do not have to be a card-carrying party member to vote in one or the other.  My guy didn't make it through the primaries, and turns out that was a good thing anyway, since it was John Edwards I had voted for.

Sigh.  I don't want to discuss the various issues here, BTW.  I vote fairly regularly, and try to keep up with the current events, just because I'm American and believe I ought to.  I don't at all enjoy political discussions, though.

I vote for the person, not the party; lately I do seem to lean a little more left than right on some issues; but I'm not necessarily proud of that fact. 

So I'm just going to keep this blog private for the time being.