I am neither Republican nor Democrat, neither liberal nor conservative, and I vote for the persons I think will best serve all of us. I hate the labels we put on one another. Labels only serve to divide us – which I sometimes think is the goal of political parties. I truly believe that most of us want the same things, and that if you put us in a room together without any party affiliation or any labels, we could agree or at least compromise amicably on a great many things. I deplore the way politics is conducted, with little regard for what would best serve the public. Both parties twist the facts to their own ends. I can’t tell you how much I hate that! I consider myself a moderate. Like any family, we as a nation need to spend our resources prudently. We all need to contribute our fair share to our common benefit.
I have a very nice acquaintance whose company I enjoy, who I sometimes scrap with. We’ve discussed families, projects, and what’s going on in our lives, but never politics or religion. Yet on several occasions she has forwarded to me e-mails that really irk me: e.g., women receiving Medicaid should be required to have a birth control implant or a tubal ligation; people getting public assistance should lose the right to vote and should be housed in barracks. And lots more stuff like that which I find pretty harsh.
I will always come down on the side of the poor and disadvantaged. Does that make me a bleeding heart liberal? I think it makes me a more compassionate person. I have seen too many people struggling to make ends meet through no fault of their own -- more than ever in these tough economic times. How many people do you know who are trying, without success, to find a job? Or have lost their house? Declared bankruptcy? Been unable to afford to see the doctor? We should be ashamed of ourselves as a nation if we can’t help those less fortunate than we are.
So far I have ignored my friend and simply deleted her messages. What do I tell her? That the things she forwards me are pretty mean-spirited?
How about a little moderation in our country? You know, where reasonable people work together to solve problems and make life better for all of us.
A girl can dream….
