Friday, August 28, 2009

Another Political "Rant"? (punctuation for you, Sue!)

I'm a pretty opinionated person.
Black or white. Little grey in my life.
But lately I've been feeling a little more grey creep into my consciousness.
I just don't know what to think about some things anymore.
I used to know what to think. I used to know what I think.
But the world has become so confusing. Upside down and sideways.
I am prepared for this post to be polarizing.

I've always considered myself a Republican. But the more I listen to Republican "spokespeople," the less I feel they speak for me. It seems they just want to spearhead an angry backlash, not a productive dialogue. Healthcare in this country is broken, no matter which side of the issue you're on. To think that everything is okay is naive. But I don't think it's as broken as the Democrats espouse. And it's not as great as the Republicans profess. What do I think? I don't know any more. My natural instinct is to keep the government out of as many areas of my life as possible. But is that the solution? I am close to people who have no health care and no ability to qualify for insurance. What do we do with them? Throw them under the bus? That can't be the answer either.
I tire of how negative the right has become about Obama. Granted, I agree with little of his political discourse, but I truly believe, whether or not I agree with his political philosophy, he is the president, and as such, deserves a level of respect afforded the office he holds. Does that mean he's always right? Rarely. But does it mean that I think he is a decent individual who wants what's right for our country? I'm beginning to respect him as a family man, whose opinions on where our country is headed are vastly different from mine. Respect for the man and his office can be separated from his political opinions. For our country's governmental structure to survive, we need to have this ability.
I appreciate our Founding Fathers' desire for disagreement and discussion. But in the end, after the debate had cooled and concessions were made, friends remained friends and enemies became allies in forwarding what was best for the country. Think Hamilton and Jefferson. Washington and Adams. Where has this gone?
I've tired of the media. I've tired of political rancor. I've tired of anger and disagreement just for the sake of fighting.
Frankly, I've actually tired of trying to be right. Can you believe that?
I'm just ready for some peace. Peace in the world, and peace in Congress. Agreement and the ability to negotiate for the good of the whole.

Where is the answer? Somewhere in the middle. But no one seems to be there any more.
Epiphany #91--I may live to regret this post.
I'm strong. I can handle it.

5 comments:

  1. I have been thinking on this same thing for a while, I wonder where sanity went. I think the media hypes every little thing wwaayy too much, every look, smile, frown, or lack there of - can't we just sit down, roll up our sleeves and get it done.

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  2. AMEN, AMEN and AMEN. I am tired of the rancor, too. I'm probably a bit to the left of where you are politically, but respect honest opinions from whichever direction they come. I truly find myself scratching my head with all the ugliness flying around. I have no idea what THE answer is, but I know that we are not getting anywhere close to finding it with all the bitter animosity. And the health care mess didn't begin in January 2009, despite what the mouthy radio and TV personalities say. I guess I should just be grateful I'm not one of the 700,000 families that had to declare bankruptcy last year because they couldn't pay their medical bills.

    I appreciate your honesty. And it felt nice to write something down about how I'm feeling. I've been too shy to do that in any other setting for fear of being attacked.

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  3. I agree with many of your points, Jen. I'm tired of the vitriol that gets us nowhere, and I'm sick of politically ambitious representatives (Democrat and Republican) who care more about their own careers than they do about serving the people who elected them. I like very few leaders of either party, and I just want all of them to quit their posturing and jockeying for position, put their heads together, and do whatever it takes to resolve some of our country's many problems.

    It's more than discouraging, and I'm seriously considering re-registering as an Independent. I still believe in keeping the government as small as possible, but I'm also willing to have the government step in where necessary, but only WHEN NECESSARY. And not just willy-nilly but deliberately, thoughtfully and proactively, rather than in a state of knee-jerk reactivity based on self-serving politics and fear tactics. And don't even get me started on how our representatives can't be bothered to read the bills they're voting on. Too much work, I guess. Sheesh.

    "/

    PS. And I cannot stand Nancy Pelosi. (Just had to vent that one.)

    PPS. All of our reps also need to keep in mind that expecting the government to run ANYTHING with either efficiency or any degree of fiscal responsibility is a fantasy. Just sayin'.

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  4. heehee...got so carried away with my own rant that I forgot to compliment you on the peerless punctuation!

    =)

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  5. Ditto! And you hit it for me...I just want some peace...I'm so very tired, I can't even write a decent comment. So, I leave it with ditto to you and to Sue (because well, I can't get over how I feel about Pelosi).

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