liberal schmiberal

I have voted democrat in the last few elections but I still consider myself an independent.  In this election we have heard not only democrat and republican but we also here terms like liberal and conservative. I think that these terms are not as polar as people make them. I think both sides have something of value to offer.

I agree with the fiscal conservative philosophy. I believe that the individual is better capable of managing his/her own affairs then the government. I also believe in personal responsibility. When something goes wrong in my life most of the time I am to blame. I think we have to be very careful not to blame others for our problems. I also do not think we should absolve ourselves form all blame when we find ourselves in a tough situation.

I do think this philosophy is only effective when the playing field is level. I think that government should realize that people are placed into situations that are inherently advantageous or disadvantageous. It is the job of government to ensure that all people have a fair chance to achieve to the best of their talents.  The inability for the conservative agenda to realize this is the source of most of my disagreements with them.

I also think that the whole idea of social conservatism is inconsistent with the conservative philosophy. Most fiscal conservatives would agree that the government should stay out of people’s way of advancement. I think this philosophy should also hold true for people’s personal lives. I think government should stay out of the personal affairs of others. I think that religion, sexuality, and other things of that nature are matters that should be decided by individuals without the influence of government.

I also think it is a failing of this Republican Party not to embrace issues that effect us all. The environment is something that effects everyone. This is the biggest problem that we face (I can make a very good argument for anyone that disagrees). It effects every part of our lives. I don’t see why environmental causes are considered liberal. It is in everyone’s interests to have clean air and ice caps that aren’t melting. It is in the interests of everyone that find a way to balance the need for resources with the need to consume them. Why is the need for energy sources that could sustain a growing population indefinitely a liberal idea? 

If there were less hunger there would be fewer people willing to perform acts that we would consider radical. I believe that desperation is a big motivation for much of the violence we see in the world. It is in everyone’s interests to end world hunger. Why is this not a conservative view?

I further fail to see the flaws in this ideology when you consider what the Christian God whom I worship and whom they claim to worship says about the environment and helping your fellow man. Why is the idea of being a steward of this creation not a conservative view? Why isn’t the idea of “whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren you do to me” considered conservative. For a movement that considers religions so important it seems ironic that the ideas that affect us all are not higher on the priority list.

I am not saying these views don’t exist in conservatism. I am saying that the way conservatism has presented itself leaves much to be desired. Maybe the liberal media is slandering them. Maybe they have bad marketing, or maybe I am just a TREE HUGGING HIPPY LIBERAL!

While it is true that in recent years I have voted on the democratic side I am not opposed to voting for republicans. With that being said, here are four republicans that I think are ok. I encourage others to try to add some to this list. Who knows next election cycle I may be pushing the (R) lever.

4. Bobby Jindal – The new governor of Louisiana. Text book fiscal conservative. Has based his whole campaign on cleaning up the corruption in one of the most corrupt states in the country. He wants to change the economic environment of his state to attract more business to Louisiana. So far so good. Don’t let the fact that he participated in an EXORCISM freak you out. (Yeah he really did…when he was in college)

3. Ron Paul – The congressman from the great state of Texas. He believes that the national debt is one of the things killing this country and I happen to agree with him. He also wants to adopt a non interference foreign policy which may not be possible in the interconnected world that we live in. Still it is a welcome change from the Dick Chaney kill em all mentality. Anyone who wants to blow up the Federal Reserve and go back to the gold standard deserves some consideration.

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger - The “Governator” of California. I love his environmental policy and his willingness to try new things. I don’t agree with everything he proposes but when he sees something isn’t working he is not afraid to blow it up and start over. His immigration and health care reforms were very bold attempts to fix unfixable problems

1. Michael Bloomberg – The governor of New York. Financial genius. Thinks completely out of the box. Getting things passed like a smoking ban. I like his education reform. The fast food restrictions to fix health care cost. Building a freakin wind turbine island off the coast of the biggest city in America.  I don’t know what is more remarkable. The ability to think of this stuff or the political savvy needed to get it passed into law. Id vote for him in a New York minute.

I’d love to hear from you especially if you consider yourself conservative. I defiantly want to hear from you if you want to add another name to my list.

18 AGAIN!

The fact that I work part time on a college campus affords me the opportunity to get to know many 18-22 year olds. Many of them voted in a presidential election for the first time on November 4 2008.  I was very impressed with the length that some of my students went to inform themselves. Some of them even got involved with some of the campaigns. The enthusiasm expressed by them in this political season was something that was great to see. It actually for a second made me wish I was 18 again.  Before we go any further let me just state that I have no desire to go back to a time where I had no money, no car, and no job. I can honestly say the time I am living in right now is the happiest time of my life. Having said that I can’t help but recall what I felt the first time I voted.

 

I was raised to take voting very seriously. My parents are very informed citizens who consider it their duty to vote. They stressed to both me and my sister never to take this right for granted. They stressed to me the importance of performing this duty. They always pointed out to me the sacrifices that others had made so that I would have the right to vote. My parents would talk politics to me and my sister at the dinner table on many occasions.

 

About a month after I got to Rutgers University, there was a voter registration drive in the dining hall. I registered to vote in the city of New Brunswick. I remember the excitement I had. It was enthralling to know that I was going to be a part of this thing that was bigger then myself. This thing that I heard my parents arguing about at the dinner table. This thing that was all around me, on TV, in newspapers, in magazines, and on radio. I could finally get to do this thing that impacted nearly every area of my life. I would finally get to participate in this thing which I was forced to only observe for so many years.

 

I was a little disappointed that most of my peers didn't really seem to care. A significant number of them wanted no part of the political process at all. At best they were indifferent at worst they were outraged by the whole process. I remember feeling a little upset and mostly disappointed. I remember thinking "I wonder if Martin Luther King thought that this voting thing really didn’t matter." I wonder what Alice Paul would say if she found out that she was thrown in jail and force fed though a tube so that 80 years later most people would stay home from the polls just because it was raining. I resolved that I would vote even if it were an inconvenience. I would vote even if it was raining. I would vote even if my vote didn’t really count. I would even vote if none of the candidates were worthy of my vote. I decided that I could not let all the people who gave their lives so I could vote die for NOTHING.

 

With a renewed sense of commitment I went to a few speeches about people in government. I researched the candidates running for the congressional district that New Brunswick was a part of. On Election Day I walked to the Sacred Heart on Suydam Street and voted. I got home to find out that 80% of the people eligible to vote let the day pass without voting (the forecast that day was for rain). That night I felt like an outsider in the sense that I felt that most around me failed to see the things that I saw.

 

This presidential election was something VERY different. This election I saw groups of my students who stayed home on Friday night to watch a debate. Everywhere I went I heard people talking about their country and what course it should take. I was very happy to see how many new voters were in this election. How many were excited to cast their ballot for the first time. How many people stood in line for hours to vote. How many people thought they had a stake in this country and how everyone believed on some level that their vote could effect change.

 

I never stopped voting. I have voted in almost every election I have been eligible for (the exception being a few school board elections that I was out of town for). I never stopped believing that my vote mattered. I never stopped believing an individual could make a difference. I never stopped believing that people could unite and make their voices heard. I never stopped believing that this process was worth the effort. This election I was happy not because I did what I do every first Tuesday in November but because I had A LOT OF COMPANY!!!

 

This is the atmosphere I would have liked my first election to have been. I was very happy getting text messages from friends as results came in on Election Day. I was very happy to see the enthusiasm for one of the things that truly makes this country great. I wish that my first election would have been something like the one that my students took part in for the first time.

 

My only wish now is that this involvement continues. I would hate to see people slip back into the grips of political apathy. I hope people continue to inform themselves and to stay involved with the political process. Government works best when the people we elect are held accountable for their actions. The only way they can be held accountable is by having an informed active electorate. I hope that in the future voter turn out continues to increase. I hope that people continue to take the steps necessary to inform themselves.

 

SO I would like to thank everyone who voted in this election. Even if you didn’t vote for the guy I did. Thank you for giving me the sense that Americans do realize how precious the gift of self governance is. Thank you for not making me feel like an outsider on this Election Day. Thank you for giving me the sense that everyone around me sees what I see. With all its problems America can be what it is suppose to be if we all work at it. Thank you for reaffirming that those people who fought and struggled and died did it for a something that was worth while.

 

ALL THIS ENTHUSIAM IS MAKING ME FEEL LIKE I AM 18 AGAIN!!!!!

 

 

 

hello

I have been thinking about doing this blogging thing for a while. Over the course of a day many thoughts pop into my head that I think about sharing with others. The problem is I am terrible at journal writing. I have never been able to write anything consistently so ideas like this eventually die. I am hoping that the people reading this will encourage me to write more. 

I am not sure what to expect but here is what you should expect. I have a lot of opinions about a lot of topics. I have a very diverse set of interests. I love to hear other opinions especially ones that differ from mine. One thing that has helped me to grow as a person is the opportunity to listen to people who think differently then I do. Sometimes I think they are right and I change the way I think. Sometimes I think they are wrong but having a different way of looking at something is never a bad thing.

I look forward to having your help in this blogging experiment. I invite all who read this to chime in with your opinion. I encourage you to tell friends that you think may find this interesting.

If you are reading this and you see it has been a week since my last entry you should yell at me to write more.

The next 3 things I intend to write are going to be about politics. This will not be a political blog but in light of recent events this topic has been on my mind.

SPOON