Dems vs GOP
With healthcare being decided in the shadows by a small group of over privileged men, I am being forced to reconsider where I fall in the political spectrum. There are certain absolutes I hold as values that would make me contrary to either party. One of those contradictions being that I firmly believe in gun control, but am also far right on my Pro Life views.
I fully realize that the only way our country can move forward is as long as there is a push-pull in government. Political discourse is the foundation of a democracy. With this in mind, I have always believed that true intelligence comes with the ability to change, even a core value, given new information. For this reason, I have tried my best to really listen to others to understand why they believe what they are so passionate about.
Up until I was 30, I was adamantly Pro-Choice. The information and arguments I took in made me look at the Pro-Life side as an affront to a woman's basic rights to control their own futures and their own bodies. 30 years of this mindset changed in a moment. It was honestly like flipping a switch. My wife and I were getting an ultrasound of our first child when he was just 7 weeks. That ultrasound showed little more than a peanut. But, in that screen was a life. I saw the start of the development of my son. It was beautiful and magical. At that moment, I instantly saw an abortion as murder. Worse than a murder because that life will never even know what it means to love. For those that are Pro-Choice, I encourage you to do something that will give you nightmares. Learn how a late term abortion is accomplished. Learn what is happening in that child's development just before its life is crushed. That child dreams. It responds to its mother and father's voice. It is life. I now hold this view as my core value.
With gun control, this is where I get so confused as to why there is such an outrage in the conservatives to any, absolutely any, regulation. The second amendment was created as a response to reactions against the oppression of England and the need for a part-time militia. At that time it was needed. Conservatives, by definition, cling to the principals of our founding fathers. The drafters of our constitution made it to be a "living" document. Just as we have found that slavery was unjust and changed that document to realize the rights it should have afforded all Americans, so too should it change to meet our current needs. There is no need to keep a strong check on our government to prevent tyranny. Likewise, we have no need for a part-time militia. If the major concern is that the 2nd amendment protects the sports hunter, that is a flawed argument. Also, if the argument is the protection of one's self and family, the statistics do not show that to be valid. Every 1st world country is an example for us to look to on this subject. For those that don't believe taking guns off the street would make you more safe, I encourage you to see what happened in Australia. And I would encourage you to review the statistics of gun related deaths across the countries of the world. Crimes of passion are crimes of opportunity. Removing that option, by storing guns in an armory for the huntsmen hurts no one's right to own guns. So I remain confused. The vast majority of conservatives are Christian. I guess gun control is more important than thou shalt not kill because it is just 6th on its list.
So on to the healthcare debate. Obamacare is not perfect. But, how can you argue that 20 million more men, woman and "children" are protected since it was implemented? So your premiums sky rocketed. If that's your argument, then you are a selfish bastard. We are a country of compassion. Elderly dying because they couldn't be covered due to pre-existing conditions, single mothers dying because they couldn't afford to get the flu shot, children dying because parents were too scared to take their sick child to the emergency room for 104 temperature because it would bankrupt them. Seriously, selfish bastards.
The more I listen to the dirty politicians spin their dirty games and corrupt agendas, it makes me reconsider, "are we really the greatest country in the world?" Nationalism and propaganda would make most scream "Yes" without even knowing the quality of life and liberties of other countries. Like our judicial system, I continually here, "It's bad, but its the best one out there". No, no its not. Read, learn, take in new facts. Don't just digest what propaganda feeds you. That is how extremism flourishes.
Which brings me back to my original points. Discourse will make us better, if we are able to accept change. Blind allegiance to a 2 party system is broken. Learn how we can be better and want that change. I hope for the day when we are a true democracy. A government truly run by the people, not the elite. I hope for a country that doesn't have a president sitting on high with his/her hand on a button that can kill us all. We can be better... I just don't know that our country want to grow.
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