Ive mentioned a few times that this Asthma Mom is moving to Denver, but I havent really fleshed out the specifics here.
The situation:
I used to live in the Tampa Bay, FL area, where I spent one year working in development at a private school, five years as a stay-at-home mom to my two daughters, and a little over four of those yearsfrom the time of her first severe flare at 10 months-old to a few months after her fifth birthdaygetting AGs asthma and gastrointestinal problems under good control.
Then I moved back here to the Florida panhandle, where Mr. Asthma Mom and I had previously met in college at the end of our undergraduate years, where I worked in public relations and editing, where AG was born and lived for two months, and where some of my family now live. The plan?
1. Put AG, who I homeschooled for kindergarten to give her lungs a break from a very serious bout with pneumonia, in public school for first grade.
2. Enroll her little sister in a preschool class for three year-olds.
3. Go back to work full-time.
Of those three goals, I achieved only #1 right away. Lack of openings in clean, safe preschools delayed #2 until my younger kid was four. Those children are now both in public school, in first and fourth grades. An abysmal job market and local economy handicapped by a very strong Good Ole Boy network here means I telecommute and freelance instead of work full-time.
Hence the move to Denver, which offers not only more jobs with better pay so I can go back full-time and close proximity to Mr. and Mrs. Asthma-Mom-in-Law, but also access to the stunning Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
The problems:
1. I have a house to sell.
2. Or rent.
3. No one is buying or renting houses.
So Mr. Asthma Mom has been in Denver since August, working at his new job and staying with his folks. Im still here in Florida, and while single parenting isnt that difficult since I work from home and live just 20 minutes away from my mother, my kids havent seen their father in almost two months. (And no, I didnt create this problem myself by purchasing a giant, overpriced home under questionable loan terms and out of proportion with my household income. Im selling a very reasonable house at a more than reasonable price.)
The Things Id Like a Republican to Explain to Me:
Because Im no financial expert, and the fact that people are stillplanning to vote for John McCain makes me think I must be missing something.
1. Why, when your candidate pushed deregulation, deregulation, deregulation and it was largely a deregulated market that led to this financial meltdown, should anyone vote for him?
2. Why does your president think my taxes should bail out these companies that created this mess, when doing so wont help me sell/rent my house anytime soon? Especially since your party is all Small government! Help yourself! Dont ask for help!
3. I know, I know. Buying these companies mortgage-backed securities will supposedly stabilize them to lend again so that the housing market, too, will eventually stabilize.
4. In the meantime, though, Im stuck here and not earning nearly as much as I could. Let me tell you what this situation does to my household budget. Im certainly not stimulating the economy by buying much beyond the necessities lately. What I am doing is hoarding any extra money I have. Until I get rid of my house, in fact, I dont foresee doing much personal stimulation of the economy any time soon.
5. Why not give that $700 billion directly to people who want to buy houses, instead? I mean, its our money, anyway. Ive read that consumer spending is the that drives the economy, so why not apply the money to down payments on this glut of homes on the market? People like me could find buyers for their houses and then loosen their household budgets to increase spending, and help with down payments could put families into homes.
6. I feel like Im running around in circles here, so lets veer off into another direction. Why is your candidate taking a break from this campaign when nervous and scared Americans need to see a strong, confident, trustworthy presence from a possible future president?
7. Related to that question, do you seriously believe his move is anything but a political ploy? Seriously.
8. Speaking of which, if your party has to control and limit media access to its VP candidate, dont you think thats a hugewake-up call that shes just not ready yet, particularly since this country is in crisis and needs the most qualified leaders it can find? Come on, now. Look what happened the last time you voted in an Everyman candidate.
Enlighten me, please.
Id really like some answers.

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