Archive: Opinions

In my own struggles with the really crappy economy I have been thinking about elections and how, more than ever, it is important to be informed when you vote.  My ideal candidate thinks for him or herself, only voting the party line when it matches what they believe to be best for their constituents.  I'm not interested in Republican or Democrat in the sense that red and blue become black and white.  I'm tired of the snide, holier-than-thou remarks that Democrats make about Republicans and Republicans make about Democrats.  I want to know how individuals will make my world better, and especially how they will make my kids' world better.

So many people in this country and in this county seem to treat their political party as a kind of club.  It's OK to say hateful, nasty things about the other club members especially if you are surrounded by your own club members.  I often find myself in the position of people assuming I am a Democrat or a Republican (I have always been an independent) so they say these things to me with that all-knowing smirk that tells me they assume I agree with them. 

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but I know better than to get into an argument about it with someone who acts as if it's a sin against God if you disagree.  I do like hearing what people think, but I find it distasteful when those opinions get so nasty and personal.  I don't mind discussing ideas, but I hate arguing about politics because nobody can win that argument.  This country is supposed to be about freedom of speech, which implies freedom of belief.  Don't count on that in partisan discussions.

As we creep closer to election day (we're not that close yet, but we're creeping) I have been thinking about the congressional race for the district Lansing is a part of.  The Democrat has been focusing on issues and telling constituents what he believes in.  The Republican has been focusing on trashing the Democrat and telling voters that he is inching ahead in the polls.  I think not telling voters what you stand for subverts the system and is disrespectful of voters.  But the fact that the Republican nearly won it with that strategy in the last election tells me that it isn't a bad strategy if you want to win.

I might agree more with the Republican if I had a better idea of what he actually stands for and wants to do.  I like the sleeves-up hard-working attitude of the Democratic Congressman.  The Republican is a successful businessman so I have to think he would roll up his sleeves if elected.  I just wish I had a more detailed understanding of how the two candidates compare philosophically.

I think the I'm red so I vote red / I'm blue so I vote blue attitude that so many people have is what elects politicians these days.  By the numbers it appears to be, and that certainly explains the approximate 50/50 split we see in so many modern elections.  Yet here we are in an economy that doesn't seem any better to me today than it did a year ago with incredible debt on the state and federal level that staggers me.  We still pour money into countries that want to harm us, and it appears that we are ceding our supremacy to China.  Our governments owe more and tax more so they can owe still more.

That's what we have voted for.  That's what we have gotten.  That's why I really wish that all candidates would concentrate less on strategy and more on issues, and it's why I wish more voters would vote more on issues than on what team they identify with.

If I believe that is ever going to happen I know, you've got a bridge you'd like to sell me.  But if it doesn't happen things are not going to get better.

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