So today is election day. Which pits Obama vying for his second term, against Romney... vying for his, first term... It all comes down to this! Today is it, who will win?! I'm not sure, but regardless who wins, I have to wonder if we lose. It is politics after all. Not exactly known as a win-win area. More like a one step forward, one and a half steps back. Which can cause some serious issues as both sides of the fence gain some fervor.
I'll tell you straight out of the gate that I'm not voting. Not for any real political stance, or because I couldn't make up my mind. But more like, I'm not a fan of politics. Never could wrap my head around the whole arena of things. It's messy to me.
But because all of my friends seemed to take an interest in it, I decided to try to understand it more. First I tried to understand the difference between a republican and a democrat, and what they stand for. In short, what I learned was, republican stood for smaller government, while democrats stand for support. Republicans are a more, hands on, build it yourself, self-sufficient type, which promotes a lot of freedom and less red tape. Democrats seem to understand that it is easier for some than others and we as people shouldn't trample on those who can't always stand on their own, and instead help, if we can.
These two different views are not apposing. However, they do seem to recognize that there are two sides, and therefor some imaginary line is drawn, dividing a whole into two-halves, which then allows for the two halves to rub against each other and cause friction. This friction causes irritation, which feeds a fire that further divides the two until only the passion to destroy the other side remains. As time passes and the two halves refuse to accept one another, then the two halves try to become wholes in their own right. Cherry-picking from things that they like from the opposite side, without really touching their core principles, thus leaving each half in a state of incompleteness, so issues between the two remain, but also acknowledging that they have grown, so vigor and zeal arise. This is roughly how I see politics.
I was raised republican. Or you could say I was indoctrinated as a republican. For most of my life, I really didn't know what a republican or a democrat was except for, I was a republican, and democrats were wrong. As I got a little older (few years ago), I asked a friend of mine who was a republican what the difference was. He said something along the lines of, republicans want smaller government so there is less interfering with peoples personal lives, which I to this day completely agree with. While democrats want larger government so they can be taken care of, which I can understand. Another thing he added was, republicans want tax breaks for the rich, because they create jobs, and democrats want higher taxes on the rich to redistribute wealth.
So my knowledge at this point was republicans want small government and tax breaks. Democrats want bigger government and redistributed wealth. I like the idea of more jobs, especially when there is an unemployment issue in this country. But I also heard (and I'm not familiar with the technical jargon) that shipping jobs overseas yielded for better tax benefits then to keep the jobs here. So the good question of, why give tax breaks to the rich if they are going to ship the jobs that they are supposed to be creating here with them overseas? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Unless the purpose for the rich is to keep their wealth, and nothing more.
If that's the case, then I'm all for taxing the rich. Still not a fan of big government though. And I know I am far from knowing it all about politics, and I could very well be wrong here. Though if I am, someone will need to correct me, politely please.
In the end I stand somewhere in the middle. Understanding where both sides are coming from, but not in total agreement with either side. I swear sometimes I hear both side say the same thing, but refuse to admit it so as to keep this rivalry alive. I honestly think politics have become more of a sport, then a means to govern a country. And I avoided talking about the corruption in politics, because we all know it's there, but we only want to point it out when we spot it on the opposing team's side. Well, that and talking about the corruption leads down a far darker and scarier tunnel then what I've discussed here.
Anyways, it is election day, and I am curious to see who wins. I can't say that I am rooting really for either, but if I was forced to choose, I would probably lean towards Obama. But shhh, don't tell my family.... I don't really think Obama can fix this country, but I don't get the impression that he'll ruin it either. I like to think though that he is really giving it the best that he can, and I can respect that. Let's hope I don't eat my words. Romney on the other hand, scares me a bit. His time with Bain (even the name is scary), his ability to take apart companies, and the state of america at the moment, makes me hope it's all just a coincidence.
But anyways, I hope I didn't bore you too much.
I hope one way or the other, that good things are in-store for us!
