My political past hasn't been all that exciting. Since you can't vote until you're 18 anyway I never gave it a whole lot of thought before that. It was an untouchable and unswayable ideology before that. Granted it is still untouchable and unswayable but at least now I get to join the rat race like all the other exhausted rodents running on the unmoving wheels. Keep in mind that I was raised in a Conservative Irish Catholic family. My parents were always up for debate and encouraged us all to have our own ideas and opinions though. That's where I learned that your opinion is not worth much if you haven't done the deep thinking and research needed to defend it. Once again, "Because I'm right," is not a valid argument. It's irritating as hell when toddlers blurt it out and it doesn't get any more attractive in adults. So I have a healthy respect for debate as long as you are willing to actually debate and possibly eventually agree to disagree.
Then I went to college. And I went to about the worst college I could have picked. Boulder is a beautiful place, thus why I picked to live there. However, it is also a very shallow and close minded place. It is not a place to be different, no matter how much they kumbaya at you and tell you they accept all types of people. First of all, it is a predominantly white community. Second of all, it is a predominantly upper middle class community. I found it to be a rather petty place where tolerance is much harder to find than any kind of drug you may fancy. CU is a good school and huge, which I liked. But it is so flooded with kids there on their parents' dime that partying is a way of life, not just something that goes on behind the scenes. For those of us who had to work to pay our way didn't have time for that and had a hard time fitting in to the social scene. I couldn't afford to spend time partying because I worked full time and went to school full time. Plus I just really couldn't $afford$ it. Add to that delightful atmosphere the way crazy political side of Boulder and the fun begins. Saying people are liberal there is only scratching the surface. There are a lot of communists, socialists, die hard liberals and agendas I couldn't even name. I have no problem with people being of different political parties. That's one of the great beauties of this country that you can believe whatever you want to believe. I will fight for people to have that right. However, what irks me is when people throw those beliefs in other people's faces in a disrespectful and degrading way. Just because I disagree with you or you disagree with me doesn't make either of us less of a person with less rights to feel that way. But if you want to throw it in my face at least back it up with some fact or strong thought. Just because I come from a more conservative background, does not make me a horrible person.
Of course that is not the attitude I encountered. I have a fairly open and laid back viewpoint. There are very few topics that I will get truly passionate about that I get truly offended if someone doesn't agree with me. It was kind of shocking to me how many people took an instant dislike to me because I'm more conservative. And I've never had so many people ask that within the first couple of minutes of meeting me. Not everyone was hostile toward me but the handful that were made the experience a bad one. I had a hard time fitting in so I tried out the College Republicans but I wasn't really conservative enough nor dedicated enough to really relate well to them. You have to be pretty dedicated to put up with the kind of crap the College Republicans got in Boulder. I was called "Baby killer" more times than I can count. It probably didn't help that it was a heated election year my freshman year of college. I voted for Bush that year and I wasn't going to hide it. However I was not at all prepared to be spit on because of it. Yes, spit on. That is the kind of behavior and attitude that is the problem in politics today. I got really tired of that really fast. One of the reasons I hated living in Boulder so much. It was like a constant battle because I had a different set of opinions than the liberal majority. And it wasn't even that I was that different; I was MUCH less conservative that any other Republican I met there.
So what are my beliefs and opinions? I'll tell you. Keep in mind that I don't have these opinions to offend people and I hope you are not offended by them. I'm always up for healthy discussions and debates but I won't give anyone the time of day that wants to get personal over them. If you don't want to know my political standpoints, stop reading. No harm, no foul.
I am a registered Republican. I am thinking about changing that to registered Independent though. I do not believe in voting on party lines. I think that the people who only vote on party lines and have certain opinions because that's what is traditional for that party are cheapening themselves and the system. We have some wonderful rights in the country. We have the right to believe in what we want to believe and not be persecuted for it. We have the right to vote how we truly want to vote. Anyone that throws that away doesn't really understand how lucky we are as Americans. So yes, I am a registered Republican but I don't vote on Republican party lines just because. I believe in researching each issue, deciding what is important to me and voting on THAT instead of just looking for the R and checking that name. Usually that works well. I keep my head down and try not to pay attention to the political poo throwing that goes on. I don't get involved too much in political things mostly because I find it exhausting. If I didn't believe it was important to take a hands on approach and exercising my right to vote, I wouldn't bother with politics at all. But again, I believe that if you didn't take the time to vote you don't have the right to bitch about it. And if you threw away your vote without researching the topics; that's almost worse. Every year I am almost tempted to vote for whatever candidate does the least amount of smear campaigning.
To be honest, I think this two party system is ruining our government. It seems like the two parties spend more time fighting each other than actually completing anything that helps the American people. If they had any ability to compromise and work together without bringing to mind vindictive toddlers on the play ground I think more things would get done. If a third party member had any hope of winning I think I would vote for them just to get someone else in office. Sadly, voting for a third party member feels a little bit like throwing my vote away. Still, I may end up doing that this election.
I don't like Romney. I don't like Obama. I have problems with both candidates and both agendas. I don't think either of them would make a good president. I almost shutter to think of Romney as president and I haven't been fond of Obama at all. The whole thing is depressing because we're going to get one or the other. I'm to the point of trying to decide which is the lesser evil. Because I'm so undecided and torn this year, I did watch the debate. I normally don't bother with those because again it just feels like "I'm right!" "No, I'm right!" "No I'm right because I'm smart." "No, I'm smart!" Bicker bicker bicker. Blah blah blah. But I sucked it up and I watched the debate. And no I didn't play the debate drinking game even though it was VERY tempting and probably would have made it more enjoyable. I think Romney punched through more of his opinions and commanded attention at the debate... but he also came off as kind of a jackass. Obama just kind of stood there. Which is fitting with the past four years of his presidency. Honestly the most interesting character during the debate was the moderator, Jim Lehrer. He was very polite and patient with them. I would have told Romney to shut up and let me speak. Yeesh.
So coming out of the debate, I'm not decided. Not even close. To amuse myself and maybe help me find some footing, however juvenile they are, I took some online tests to see where I fall. Romney or Obama. And.... I am split about 50/50... helpful. Gah the way this is going I may not vote this election. Either way something is going to happen that I like and something is going to happen that I hate. Why stress myself out about it? Because I so believe in taking part in the process! Damnit! Why can't I just be okay with not caring? Damn my civic duty that I so respect and cherish. I guess I will be tuning in to the other debates and I don't expect to know who will get my vote until the very end. I may be staring at the ballot when I decide.
Here are some of the things I am pretty "solid" on:
- I believe in equal rights for the LGBT community, especially gay marriage. I believe it is outright discrimination that prevents gay marriage.
- I believe in woman's rights. That includes easy and affordable access to birth control. Viagra is covered by most insurance companies so it is actually offensive that women have to fight for affordable birth control. Oh and I don't believe it should be all old white men debating the issue. Let's have woman's opinion on women's rights please.
- Woman's rights also includes abortion. I used to be against abortion because it is killing the potential for a human being. However, as I got older I realized that I might make a certain decision for myself but I can't dictate that decision for other women. There is a saying I heard that really hit home with me on this issue. If you can't trust a woman to make the decision how can you trust her to raise a child? That really resonates with me. I can't make that choice for someone because it is impossible to see it through their eyes. Nor would I want a bunch of old men making that choice for me. So, as much as I hope I would make the choice for life if I were in that situation, no one should take that choice from me.
- Healthcare. This is a hard one because I'm not sure what solution I want. The fact is though that healthcare in this country is in a scary state. SOMETHING has to be done with it. It needs to be easier for people like me to get healthcare. For a long time I didn't have any insurance of any kind and thank goodness nothing happened to me that I'd be paying through the nose for medical bills. Now I have insurance with my new job but a lot of companies can't afford to provide it and people can't afford to buy it on their own. It's scary to think about. Problem is, I'm not sure which candidate has the best fix for healthcare.
- Gun rights. It is my right as an American citizen to own firearms and no one better take that away from me. Come the end of this year I will be exercising my right to own and carry a firearm.
- Immigration is another issue. I do not believe illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay here because they managed to sneak in. If you can't come here legally then you don't have rights here. That said, I think that the immigration system that allows people to come here should be rethought because it is very hard. We should keep in mind that we are a country of immigrants but that doesn't mean you get all the benefits of living here if you're illegal and don't pay taxes.
- Foreign policy is important to me too. If you remember my post on Sept. 11th, keeping this country safe and fighting for our rights and our continued existence is important to me. I am proud to be an American and I don't want to see other innocent Americans die just for the simple fact that they are Americans. Terrorists are a threat and one of the world's greatest evils. Our government should be able to protect us. But then you have the fine line of what is invading my privacy, which is one of my rights, and what is keeping me safe. Also, I'm not sure that the USA should be involved in so many global conflicts when we have so much work to do at home for our own people. Although I have supported the War on Terror since the very beginning, I would like to see a lot of those resources come back home and help the people here who need it before we rush off and stomp the living daylights out of other countries. Of course, that is also a fine line. All these fine lines is why politics gives me such a headache.
I'm sure there are many other things that I have opinions about but my brain lost steam. I tend to be socially more liberal and economically more conservative. And in this election, I'm straddling the line more than I ever have. Makes it really hard to vote. Why can't they just share the position? That might be the best compromise but then, of course, that would mean that nothing would get done because they'd be too busy pushing the other down in the dirt then crying about it to the American people. Sigh. See why I don't normally like to get too overly involved in politics. Sadly, you'll probably hear more about this as the election draws nearer. Somehow I am going to have to make up my mind.
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