Why I think Romney is out of touch and lost the debate...

1. Taxes and student loans. I’ll admit, I am a resident, still training to be a specialist in my field (and by the way you don’t HAVE to do that as a veterinarian, I chose to do it to make myself a more competitive and intelligent vet). So at this point in my career I make about $30,000. I don’t think about taxes much. I am probably one of the 47% ROmney doesn't give a shit about. However, I do have $180,000 in student loans, and that is just from vet school. So student loans are important to me, and taxes will be some day. With regards to student loans, the Obama administration has done a lot to make paying back your loans easier. I personally have ZERO debt from my undergraduate education thanks to grants and scholarships (some from the government), and even though I have $180K from vet school in student loan debt, I had $32K covered by grants as well. Last night Romney said he would continue funding Pell grants and increase student loan availability, which is the OPPOSITE of what he has said on the campaign trail before tonight’s debate according to multiple fact checking websites. Additionally, when the audience member asked about student loans and jobs, it seemed to become a spin off on taxes, so the candidates talked a lot about taxes. Romney continued to say that he would make it easier for the middle class by “making it so they have no taxes on capital gains and savings”. I am sorry, but 95% of the people I know are in the middle class, and only about 5% of them have capital gains or significant savings. This to me was an example of Romney being out of touch with reality again- these statements again and again about helping the middle class seem like a way to help the top 2% of America. When I get a job next year and hopefully start making 4-6 times my resident salary, it will be weird to pay taxes for the first time since I normally get some sort of tax return, but depending on the party in office I will be happy to do it to pay for things like Obamacare that are going to help make this country’s healthcare system better; and if I do ever get capital gains or savings I will feel like I have successfully climbed the social ladder to the upper class, and will not in any way be upset about paying taxes on them. Additionally, my boyfriend is socially liberal like me, but he tends to be fiscally conservative. From time to time he will agree with republicans on various policy recommendations for the deficit, taxes, etc. However, knowing he is fiscally conservative and seeing him agree again and again with the Obama administration that the Romney campaign needs to show us some hard evidence that this 5 point plan and plan for tax cuts with lowering the deficit at the same time will happen. It just doesn’t work. There is not math that he can figure out that will make it happen, so obviously he is lying. It means if he were in office all these promises he is making, some of them will have to break, and since he is so dedicated to the super wealthy I bet it will be those of us in the middle class that have our promises broken to us. 2. Gun control- towards the end of the debate an audience member asked about the policies of the parties on assault weapons. As my boyfriend the history major likes to explain to people, the second amendment is misunderstood by people. It was originally set up as a way to have a national guard in times where people would need to take up their arms and defend the country from threats. However, in the last century the NRA has made it out to be this distorted law where people think that any civilian should be allowed to own a gun and protect themselves if needed. Guns=violence in my book, the more gun control laws, the less likely guns get in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to properly use them, which means less accidents or stupid acts of violence fueled by road rage like instincts occur. I have three friends who were either at Virginia Tech or had a close friend/classmate killed in that mass shooting when it occurred, and ALL of them are pro-gun control, especially on assault weapons. Having weapons more readily available for quacks is just not smart. And even people who seem like reasonable civilians, when not trained, can have accidents. Just last month I read an article about a man who shot someone climbing in to the window of his living room at 3am in self protection. Turns out it was his 16 year old son who had snuck out with friends and was returned, trying not to get caught. I used to sneak in and out of the house when I was a kid to hang out with my neighbors watching movies until 3am…glad I lived in a family that didn’t think they needed guns. 3. Gas prices- At first the question from the audience was frustrating, since both candidates didn’t directly answer the question- but in general the feeling was that Romney wants to open up more drilling in this country, use the artic national wildlife refuge for drilling, and let big oil get what they want to ensure that gas prices are lowered. Here are my thoughts- the price of oil is about supply and demand, right? So if Romney has his way the oil companies in this country will get a laxity on the regulations controlling them, meaning they can produce more oil- that means supply goes up and prices go down- however…is that helpful for the big oil companies? If the oil companies have their way, it benefits them more to have high gas prices, so giving them less regulations might mean they have an easier time manipulating prices or manipulating supply in their favor- which is what they were doing according to Obama- multiple oil companies had areas available to drill but weren’t drilling on purpose, to DRIVE GAS PRICES UP. Now this is an issue where I am actually disappointed in Obama. I am very pro-environment, and in order to be bi-partisan I think Obama has been to lax with regulations on the oil and gas companies- I actually think we need MORE regulations, or our earth is going to be destroyed. We just had one of the most DEVASTATING OIL SPILLS EVER in the Gulf a couple years ago- do you think that was from too many regulations? Not only did it decimate wildlife and natural lands, it destroyed the economy of the south because their tourist industry was wiped out- again another example of helping out big business (oil and gas) and it hurting those in the middle class. I will cry on the day they open up the artic national wildlife refuge to drilling- it is one of the more precious and last large areas of natural environments in this country; when we do you can be sure it will probably only be a decade or so before polar bears are extinct, since they are already struggling against global warming. And so now I come to Obama’s argument- sure, we need more domestic oil and gas production here, but we need to regulate, and we need to spend a large chunk of energy resources looking in to alternative energy options- again to my supply and demand, if people have more energy efficient options that we invest in, demand for gas and oil goes DOWN, and the price therefore goes down as well. 4. Terrorism- I thought Obama was the better man on this discussion on the attacks in Libya that killed 4 Americans including a diplomat- he did not push blame anywhere, he said his government should be held accountable, but there are always going to be acts like this when you are president. And I was happy that the moderator called Romney out on lying about Obama- you were fact checked again Romney! And Obama had a long list of things he set out to do as president that he has accomplished on this front (Bin Laden is dead, the wars in the middle east are coming to an end).... 5. WOMEN- although I have very strong feelings about the environment, education, and gay marriage, this is what sealed Romney’s fate for me in this debate. When asked about the pay gap seen by women (which I have blogged about before http://crunchyvegan.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-womans-rights-blog.html ) he first started talking about how when he was elected governor he went and found “binders full of women” to be on his cabinet. I know this was meant to make him sound like a guy who wanted women to succeed, but what it came out like was that he wanted women around him, like women are trophies to look for, but men do the real work. And then he went on to talk about how he wants women to get equal pay, but he understands they will also need more flexible hours to get home and make dinner for the family- you backward, sexist pig. This is what did it for me. You never would have had my vote before, but now you have lost a lot of women’s votes. I will be a working professional and probably the bread winner when I get out there with a job after my residency, and my whole family as well as most of my friends come from families where women are the bread winner in the family. How dare you talk about women being the one who needs flexible hours to get home to make dinner just cause your wife is a stay at home mom. This was so morally offensive, I don’t know how any woman could listen to this and think it was ok. And by the way- Romney said 580,000 women have lost jobs with Obama as president- factcheck.org actually said the figure was 90,000. He lied, again. 6. Gay marriage- So I was actually sad that no one actually addressed this at the town hall debate. This is a major issue for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRN9Y5Nvdqk That will show you Romney’s view. And Obama is the first president ever to come out in support of gay marriage. A lot of my friends are gay. This past weekend I went to one of the most loving, amazing, heartfelt weddings I have EVER been to. During the toast the father of one groom talked about how this couple had been through more than most married couples already and that their compassion and caring for one another makes them better people every day. This was a wedding between two gay men, two men I care about deeply. I can’t believe ANYONE could claim that they don’t have as much of a right to marriage then me or anyone else. I hope during my lifetime this changes, because it is so backwards that gay marriage is not accepted. Everyone regardless if they are homosexual or heterosexual should be given that right. So that’s my thoughts on the debate.

chinese chicken salad and vegan fake chicken egg rolls

Well this one was QUITE an experiment, and the picture does NOT do it justice. I found thin rice paper for eff rolls/spring rolls at shaws this week that were vegan; I wanted to try to make something with them but wanted a side dish to go with it, so I made a vegan fake chicken chinese salad. Then to make the rolls, I wanted there to be meat in them, but wasn't sure what combo; I had mangoes in the house, what I did was choppped the mangoes up in to tiny pieces, made some white rice, and fried up some gardein mandarin flavored fake chicken. For each roll I put some rice, mangoes, and gardein mandarin chicken, then rolled it up like a burrito. Mark was horribly skeptical when he saw them, which I can't blame him, the rolls were translucent and looked gross, but he admitted they were DELICIOUS! We are totally going to make them again, but to make them even more unhealthy will have to fry them in my fryalator I haven;t used yet. For the chinese chicken salad: Fry a package of TJs fake chicken strips in a small amount of peanut oil. In a large serving bowl mix 1 package romaine lettuce, 1 package shredded purple cabbage, 1 package shredded carrots, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1 package shaved almonds, and 2 TBsp sesame seeds. In a small bowl whick together 3 TBsp vinegar, 3 TBsp sugar, 1 TBsp rice wine, 1 TBsp soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp ginger, and 2 TBsp peanut oil. In the large bowl mix together the salad with the dressing and the chicken strips. The salad was ok, but not great, and the rolls were SO good they made the salad seem crummy, but it was ok.

another version of vegan fried rice

Not sure why I tried this version of vegan fried rice, I think cause i had brown rice in the house I wanted to use, but it was super tasty, probably really unhealthy though, packed with calories I am sure. In 1 TBSp peanut oil fried some sliced up tofu or fake chicken, for this recipe I used trader joe's fake chicken strips. Once browned remove from oil. Cook the rice as usual while you are doing this. A 3 TBsp peanut oil to wok and fry some chopped white onion in it until translucent. Once translucent add 1 TBsp ginger and 4 TBsp garlic; then add 2 cups brocolli, 3 red bell peppers chopped in to small pieces (I had one red, yello, and orange bell pepper), 2 cups shitake mushrooms, 1 package of shredded carrots, 1/2 cup frozen peas to the wok. Cook through. Then add the fake chicken and rice to the wok. Mix well and stir in 6 TBsp soy sauce, 2 TBsp rice wine, 1 TBsp mirin, and some pepper to taste. Then enjoy! I definitely loved it!

sun dried tomato pasta

I also had some sun dried tomatoes in the house the other day that I needed to use so tried this quick and easy recipe. Cook 1 package of spaghetti as usual. For the pesto blenderize 2 TBsp garlic, 1/2 cup packed and shredded fresh basil leaves, 1 jar oil soaked sun dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 6 TBsp water, 4 TBsp walnuts, 1 TBsp nutrional yeast, and 1 TBsp red pepper flakes. Once the pesto is made and pasta is done mix the two together. It was ok, but a little spicy for me (and I am normally a medium lean towards hot spicey person) so next time I might back off on the red pepper flakes if I make it again.

side dish potato salad

The side dish potato salad I made for the meal in the last post was a really good salad recipe so thought i would put it here: Asparagus and Potato Salad Roasted Potatoes: 8-10 small potatoes chopped and doused in olive oil (I had a mixture of purple, red, and yellow potatoes); roast at 425 for 30 minutes. Asparagus: chop up one bunch of asparagus in to small pieces and douse in olive oil, then sautee for a couple minutes on medium heat in oil. Dressing: Whisk together 1Tbsp olive oil, 1/4c lemon juice, 1 TBsp lemon pepper, 2 TBsp garlic, 1 tsp maple syrup, 2 TBsp dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp pepper, chopped up chives and 1 TBsp water. Mix all the ingredients together; it is good warm or cold; I had it both ways.

fake hot dog and baked bean casserole

I had bought these mini fake hot dogs from May Wah vegetarian so decided to make a baked bean and fake hot dog casserole. The casserole was good, but the best part was the beans, the hot dogs were a little gross; will use smart dogs cut in to small pieces in the future if I ever make it again. The recipe involved mixing together the fake hot dogs as well as 1.5TBsp margarine, 1 tsp allspice, 1 16oz can of vegetarian baked beans, 1/3 c. ketchup, 1/3 c. brown sugar, and 1/2 a package of Daiya cheddar cheese. Mixed all together and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.

As you can see, I served some corn on the side, as well as potato salad, making it a good summer meal.

The gender gap/inequality...

I have heard some stuff on NPR this past year and more recently read some articles on the gendedr gap, and inequal opportunities for women, and I will admit I was skeptical at first but the stuff I have read and heard this year convinced me otherwise, now if only I could convince my boyfriend...so I am posting all the articles/news stories I have heard here as a plea for all people, men and wommen, to read and understand that there is a GENDER GAP and it is not because women get pregnant, or don't have a work ethic. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/unofficial-prognosis/2012/09/23/study-shows-gender-bias-in-science-is-real-heres-why-it-matters/ http://www.sharayurkiewicz.com/2011/02/dont-rule-out-sexism-so-quickly.html http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=5255&blogid=140 http://www.npr.org/2012/07/12/156664337/stereotype-threat-why-women-quit-science-jobs http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html

another creative veggie burger

So like I mentioned in a previous blog, Mark asked that I spice up my veggie burgers and I have been enjoying doing that. I sauteed some spinach and mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil for this one, cooked the burgers, the layered on the veggies and a layer of cheese, baked in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese first.

another vegan (Mexican) pizza

This vegan pizza was also delicious...another thin layer of sauce, and then I topped it with black beans, chopped up avocadoes, chopped tomatoes, and fake chicken. Then the fake cheese on top of that.

steps to a vegan pizza

I have been having lots of fun lately with vegan pizzas, and this is one of my new favorite throw it together pizzas: First I put a thin layer of pizza sauce over the pizza dough. Then I chopped up lots of fresh spinach and put a layer of that. Then I had some sun dried tomatoes as well as vegan bacon that I chopped up and sprinkled over the pizza. Then I put on the cheese. The one on the right is with real cheese for Mark, one on the left is mine with Daiya fake cheese.