Faced with the coming election, I finally decided to get off my butt and start figuring out who I was going to vote for. I have always felt strongly about politics because I recognized at an early age how important they were. I was always more willing to speak about it in school, and I always knew what I was talking about unlike the rest of my peers (In hindsight, this was not true. My other smarter peers knew more than me, but they were in honors classes and I was not, though I probably should have been). So I decided that I would go to all of the candidates websites (yes, all!) to see what they stood for. At this point in the race, this was not as much work as it seems as only three candidates, Romney, McCain, and Obama are still in the race (I realize that Hillary is also still in the race, but being a Republican, it was a big enough deal just for me to go to Obama's site. I did not want to strain myself). Whenever I study politics, I get somewhat sad. Not because of the issues themselves, but because of what bi-partisanship is doing to this country. A constant war of words is always going on and it will continue to go on and most likely get worse. Why do we even need to label ourselves as a Republican or Democrat when most people don't agree with every issue that each party stands on? There are some people (and I've met both Republicans and Democrats that feel this way) that think that the other side are evil, corrupt, and are conspiring to get what they want. I realize that there are people like this, but you cannot say all Democrats or all Republicans are like this. You know that saying, "You cannot talk about religion or politics in school?" How sad is that? That the issues and problems we face as a country, we don't even want to discuss with each other?
I took a class in college where we studied how the Supreme Court works. One day, we watched a video with interviews with some Supreme Court members. One of the interviewees was Sandra Day O'Connor who was a Republican who was put in the Supreme Court by (I think) Reagan. What she said was enlightening. The Supreme Court deal with the most difficult cases in America. The justices are constantly discussing with each other the viewpoints they have with each case. No one gets angry. No one ever thinks that anyone else is simply trying to push the agenda of their political party. O'Connor went on to say that whatever political party a justice has when they come into the court, all of their preconceptions begin to vanish away, and they are not simply a Republican and they are not simply a Democrat. They are somewhat in the middle, able to see both sides of an argument before deciding a case. Perhaps if we, as a people, were able to talk to each other in this same way, we would not be only unified in politics but in many other ways as well.
P.S. I decided to vote for Romney. I was against him at first (I don't know why) but when I watched clips of him at debates, I found him to be a logical and caring person. Not to mention (I won't go into all the issues he stands for, although I'll discuss them with you if you want), he's the only Govenor still in the race and I believe Govenors are better at running a country than Senators. But then again, thats just my opinion.
I took a class in college where we studied how the Supreme Court works. One day, we watched a video with interviews with some Supreme Court members. One of the interviewees was Sandra Day O'Connor who was a Republican who was put in the Supreme Court by (I think) Reagan. What she said was enlightening. The Supreme Court deal with the most difficult cases in America. The justices are constantly discussing with each other the viewpoints they have with each case. No one gets angry. No one ever thinks that anyone else is simply trying to push the agenda of their political party. O'Connor went on to say that whatever political party a justice has when they come into the court, all of their preconceptions begin to vanish away, and they are not simply a Republican and they are not simply a Democrat. They are somewhat in the middle, able to see both sides of an argument before deciding a case. Perhaps if we, as a people, were able to talk to each other in this same way, we would not be only unified in politics but in many other ways as well.
P.S. I decided to vote for Romney. I was against him at first (I don't know why) but when I watched clips of him at debates, I found him to be a logical and caring person. Not to mention (I won't go into all the issues he stands for, although I'll discuss them with you if you want), he's the only Govenor still in the race and I believe Govenors are better at running a country than Senators. But then again, thats just my opinion.
2 comments:
I tag you to write about the 5 things hate and the 5 things you love. :0}
I completely agree with you. I was thinking about this very topic. Before George Washington left office as President he gave a speech in which he warned the country not to form political parties as it would divide the nation. I believe his statement was prophetic. Here's the full quote:
"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty." -- George Washington
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