Democratic moms and Republican moms
How Liberal Democrats are Really the Finest Republicans Around or “How did the Right Wing Conspiracy Manage to get SO FAR OUT THERE?”
I asked one of my best friends here (who happens to be a die hard Republican) WHY she was a Republican. I REALLY wanted to know. So one day, while our oldest children had soccer practice together, and our youngest were playing with pine cones, I asked “Friend, WHY are you a Republican? What makes you proud to be a Republican?” I spent the next hour getting her answer. I listened. I listened to every word she said. I did not’t rebuke, rebuttal or argue. I didn't’t debate, discuss, or dispute. I just listened and tried my best to see how she could be right. I assumed what every friend thinks of another friend; that there was a sincere, logical explanation in there rooted in experience, intelligence, and wisdom. I wanted to see this part of a Republican. I wanted the value of her perspective. Here are the main points I remember from this conversation.
1) She believes in small government, especially a small Federal government. She made a good point; “How can the federal government best know how to spend my tax dollars to meet the needs of my state and local communities?”
2) She believes in minimal taxes for people.
3) She believes in a big military.
4) She believes that churches and not government agencies should help people in need with things like food, shelter, etc. She believes that government safety nets should not exist. She thinks they promote laziness in some people.
5) She believes in “Trickle Down” Economics with the same fervor she believes in Jesus Christ.
6) She firmly believes that government regulations of any sort interfere with the economy in VERY BAD WAYS.
7) Small government, so people can "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" all they want.
Having heard her perspective on these issues, it made me wonder “How on earth did the Republican right get SOOOOOoooooo out there? Many of the things she talked about did not offend me as a Democrat. More importantly, she admitted that she does not agree with a lot of the things the Republican agenda is pursuing. But she is loyal to her party and she tolerates their shortcomings, because in the end, she believes in the vision of the party. Here's where she and her party differ:
1) She’s pro-choice. This is something both of us agree on. Neither of us would have an abortion, both of us completely disagree with them entirely. But both of us believe that the government does not have the right to tell us what to do with our vaginas. So we agree; no bureaucratic red tape on our genitals!
2) We both believe in the power and sanctity of the family unit. We both agree that the failure of the family unit is the root cause of many of our social problems.
3) She’s not against homosexuals. I am not sure if she’s “pro gay marriage” but she’s certainly not die hard against it. I think this is because she is really into the “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” part of the constitution. It is possible that she's really against them and won't tell me for fear of upsetting me since I have some lesbians in the family, so I put that on the table owing full disclosure to this story.
4) We both agree that the multi media conglomerates have too much power and that it is difficult (if not almost impossible) to find accurate, unbiased information about the goings on in this country.
5) We both think that the local and state news do a terrible job covering issues relevant to the democratic process and that they spend too much time covering fear based issues (like shark attacks).
6) We both believe that ALL children deserve an excellent education regardless of income level or geographical location.
What I discovered (and what I treasure most) about my friend is that just as she and I have more in common than not, so do Republicans and Democrats.
SO WHAT THEY HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?
Men. That's what's going on in our country. But before I get into that, let me comment on what I think of my friends ideas about government.
1) BIG GOVERNMENT: The idea she has that the Federal government can't most effectively meet the needs of state and local government, well I agree with her completely.
2) MINIMAL TAXES: AMEN I am all for a flat percentage tax. More importantly, I believe that American Corporate giants should be paying a lot more taxes. I am completely against corporate welfare too (She's not and I'll address that more in the TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS section).
3) BIG MILITARY: Completely disagree with a big military, and I have bad news for my friend; You can't have a big military AND low taxes. Even "Enron" math can't make this work.
4) CHURCH AND STATE: Well I don't understand why the government can't DO the loving work we all learn about in church. I do see why her idea doesn't work. Since Dubya took office and passed his faith based initiatives, thousands of organizations representing dozens of faiths have applied for federal grant money. Not one non-Christian organization has been given a grant. NOT ONE. If you can't see the problem knowing that one little fact, shame on you. There's a reason we need separation of church and state and why our government and not our churches should be helping its citizens.
5) TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS: She believes that corporate welfare leads to lower consumer prices. I believe it leads to excessively wealthy people and corporations that take money from our government that could be better spent on it's citizens.
Exhibit A: Enron
Exhibit B: United Airlines
exhibit C: WorldCom
Exhibit D: Haliburton
6) LOW REGULATIONS: I don't believe low government regulations cause price problems but I do believe they cause health problems. Most notably cancers and breathing problems. The American Lung Association has some statistics that really put this into perspective.
7) SMALL GOVERNMENT: How does the Federal government have the right to tell two consenting adults what they can and cannot do? Banning gay marriage is one way to completely violate the premise of “small Federal government”. Interestingly enough, I have a die hard Democratic liberal friend who pointed out that the Federal government shouldn't have the right to recognize ANY marriage because even that is a violation of separation of church and state. She said marriage is a sacred thing, and that the government should only recognize civil unions for everybody. VERY INTERESTING. Perhaps this gay marriage fiasco is the result of the Federal government going places it should not have to begin with. If the Federal government did only recognize civil unions, that means that churches could still determine for themselves what was and was not a marriage, civil unions of all types would have the legal protection they need and we would not have these debates.
If my friend and I can agree on some of the biggest political issues we have, without even TRYING, I am sure that we would work out some agreements. So why can't our parties do this?
Well, I'll tell you. The last thing both parties want is for us all to know that we agree on most issues. Because if we all know that, we are going to look at our elected officials and ask "Why haven't you done your job? We all agree on this abortion issue. We agree on saving the family unit. How about some tax cuts for stay at home moms instead of corporations outsourcing overseas? The day we realize that we agree on more than we disagree is the day that the people of this country and not the elite of this country will be running our country. It's called a Democracy; we should try it sometime.
This is a divide and conquer strategy of monumental proportions. It's a plan to make money by selling us a lot of fear and distracting us from the smoking guns (like the guns in Iraq protecting Bush and Cheney's oil buddies). We're getting played for fools.
My friend and I, we want the same things for our children. We want a safe world, a safe country, a good education for good paying jobs and the freedom to worship wherever we want. But if we continue to let the policital machine divide us and distract us from the things that really matter, neither of us will have the peace that comes from knowing that the world is a better place for our children than it was for us.
We need one unified party. Men get caught up in their egos, their power trips, money, prestige and all of the other deadly sins erroding at our democracy. What we need is a bunch of moms running the show. YEP. MOMS. People like me and my friend, working on issues, being fair to one another's ideas. We need moms who can disagree with one another, still love one another and care about ALL of the children affected by policy. We need a MOM Congress, a MOM Senate, and a MOM in the Whitehouse.
Moms have a lot of on-the-job training in politics. One toy, two kids and a snowstorm; it doesn't get any messier than that. Moms specialize in holding people accountable. Moms are often diffusing situations, juggling a dozen projects and demanding honesty from self serving interest who don't want to give it (ie. their own children). Moms understand the real cost of war because they know the power of giving life. Moms understand the difference between gun control and gun responsibility. Moms know that you can't force anyone to do the right thing if they are really commited to doing it wrong. In fact, a lot of moms are responsible for legislation that protect all children and all citizens. That's because moms know you can't put a price on selling out your own children. Most moms wouldn't put a price selling out someone else's children either because they wouldn't want someone to do that to them. Moms see first hand what happens when someone doesn't clean up after themselves. Moms know better than to leave dangerous chemicals within reach of children. Moms know that quality healthcare is about more than a doctor. Moms just know....and moms are our hope for a better country.
I asked one of my best friends here (who happens to be a die hard Republican) WHY she was a Republican. I REALLY wanted to know. So one day, while our oldest children had soccer practice together, and our youngest were playing with pine cones, I asked “Friend, WHY are you a Republican? What makes you proud to be a Republican?” I spent the next hour getting her answer. I listened. I listened to every word she said. I did not’t rebuke, rebuttal or argue. I didn't’t debate, discuss, or dispute. I just listened and tried my best to see how she could be right. I assumed what every friend thinks of another friend; that there was a sincere, logical explanation in there rooted in experience, intelligence, and wisdom. I wanted to see this part of a Republican. I wanted the value of her perspective. Here are the main points I remember from this conversation.
1) She believes in small government, especially a small Federal government. She made a good point; “How can the federal government best know how to spend my tax dollars to meet the needs of my state and local communities?”
2) She believes in minimal taxes for people.
3) She believes in a big military.
4) She believes that churches and not government agencies should help people in need with things like food, shelter, etc. She believes that government safety nets should not exist. She thinks they promote laziness in some people.
5) She believes in “Trickle Down” Economics with the same fervor she believes in Jesus Christ.
6) She firmly believes that government regulations of any sort interfere with the economy in VERY BAD WAYS.
7) Small government, so people can "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" all they want.
Having heard her perspective on these issues, it made me wonder “How on earth did the Republican right get SOOOOOoooooo out there? Many of the things she talked about did not offend me as a Democrat. More importantly, she admitted that she does not agree with a lot of the things the Republican agenda is pursuing. But she is loyal to her party and she tolerates their shortcomings, because in the end, she believes in the vision of the party. Here's where she and her party differ:
1) She’s pro-choice. This is something both of us agree on. Neither of us would have an abortion, both of us completely disagree with them entirely. But both of us believe that the government does not have the right to tell us what to do with our vaginas. So we agree; no bureaucratic red tape on our genitals!
2) We both believe in the power and sanctity of the family unit. We both agree that the failure of the family unit is the root cause of many of our social problems.
3) She’s not against homosexuals. I am not sure if she’s “pro gay marriage” but she’s certainly not die hard against it. I think this is because she is really into the “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” part of the constitution. It is possible that she's really against them and won't tell me for fear of upsetting me since I have some lesbians in the family, so I put that on the table owing full disclosure to this story.
4) We both agree that the multi media conglomerates have too much power and that it is difficult (if not almost impossible) to find accurate, unbiased information about the goings on in this country.
5) We both think that the local and state news do a terrible job covering issues relevant to the democratic process and that they spend too much time covering fear based issues (like shark attacks).
6) We both believe that ALL children deserve an excellent education regardless of income level or geographical location.
What I discovered (and what I treasure most) about my friend is that just as she and I have more in common than not, so do Republicans and Democrats.
SO WHAT THEY HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?
Men. That's what's going on in our country. But before I get into that, let me comment on what I think of my friends ideas about government.
1) BIG GOVERNMENT: The idea she has that the Federal government can't most effectively meet the needs of state and local government, well I agree with her completely.
2) MINIMAL TAXES: AMEN I am all for a flat percentage tax. More importantly, I believe that American Corporate giants should be paying a lot more taxes. I am completely against corporate welfare too (She's not and I'll address that more in the TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS section).
3) BIG MILITARY: Completely disagree with a big military, and I have bad news for my friend; You can't have a big military AND low taxes. Even "Enron" math can't make this work.
4) CHURCH AND STATE: Well I don't understand why the government can't DO the loving work we all learn about in church. I do see why her idea doesn't work. Since Dubya took office and passed his faith based initiatives, thousands of organizations representing dozens of faiths have applied for federal grant money. Not one non-Christian organization has been given a grant. NOT ONE. If you can't see the problem knowing that one little fact, shame on you. There's a reason we need separation of church and state and why our government and not our churches should be helping its citizens.
5) TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS: She believes that corporate welfare leads to lower consumer prices. I believe it leads to excessively wealthy people and corporations that take money from our government that could be better spent on it's citizens.
Exhibit A: Enron
Exhibit B: United Airlines
exhibit C: WorldCom
Exhibit D: Haliburton
6) LOW REGULATIONS: I don't believe low government regulations cause price problems but I do believe they cause health problems. Most notably cancers and breathing problems. The American Lung Association has some statistics that really put this into perspective.
7) SMALL GOVERNMENT: How does the Federal government have the right to tell two consenting adults what they can and cannot do? Banning gay marriage is one way to completely violate the premise of “small Federal government”. Interestingly enough, I have a die hard Democratic liberal friend who pointed out that the Federal government shouldn't have the right to recognize ANY marriage because even that is a violation of separation of church and state. She said marriage is a sacred thing, and that the government should only recognize civil unions for everybody. VERY INTERESTING. Perhaps this gay marriage fiasco is the result of the Federal government going places it should not have to begin with. If the Federal government did only recognize civil unions, that means that churches could still determine for themselves what was and was not a marriage, civil unions of all types would have the legal protection they need and we would not have these debates.
If my friend and I can agree on some of the biggest political issues we have, without even TRYING, I am sure that we would work out some agreements. So why can't our parties do this?
Well, I'll tell you. The last thing both parties want is for us all to know that we agree on most issues. Because if we all know that, we are going to look at our elected officials and ask "Why haven't you done your job? We all agree on this abortion issue. We agree on saving the family unit. How about some tax cuts for stay at home moms instead of corporations outsourcing overseas? The day we realize that we agree on more than we disagree is the day that the people of this country and not the elite of this country will be running our country. It's called a Democracy; we should try it sometime.
This is a divide and conquer strategy of monumental proportions. It's a plan to make money by selling us a lot of fear and distracting us from the smoking guns (like the guns in Iraq protecting Bush and Cheney's oil buddies). We're getting played for fools.
My friend and I, we want the same things for our children. We want a safe world, a safe country, a good education for good paying jobs and the freedom to worship wherever we want. But if we continue to let the policital machine divide us and distract us from the things that really matter, neither of us will have the peace that comes from knowing that the world is a better place for our children than it was for us.
We need one unified party. Men get caught up in their egos, their power trips, money, prestige and all of the other deadly sins erroding at our democracy. What we need is a bunch of moms running the show. YEP. MOMS. People like me and my friend, working on issues, being fair to one another's ideas. We need moms who can disagree with one another, still love one another and care about ALL of the children affected by policy. We need a MOM Congress, a MOM Senate, and a MOM in the Whitehouse.
Moms have a lot of on-the-job training in politics. One toy, two kids and a snowstorm; it doesn't get any messier than that. Moms specialize in holding people accountable. Moms are often diffusing situations, juggling a dozen projects and demanding honesty from self serving interest who don't want to give it (ie. their own children). Moms understand the real cost of war because they know the power of giving life. Moms understand the difference between gun control and gun responsibility. Moms know that you can't force anyone to do the right thing if they are really commited to doing it wrong. In fact, a lot of moms are responsible for legislation that protect all children and all citizens. That's because moms know you can't put a price on selling out your own children. Most moms wouldn't put a price selling out someone else's children either because they wouldn't want someone to do that to them. Moms see first hand what happens when someone doesn't clean up after themselves. Moms know better than to leave dangerous chemicals within reach of children. Moms know that quality healthcare is about more than a doctor. Moms just know....and moms are our hope for a better country.
posted by momwithamission at 2:32 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home