A) what a family must be (namely their version of a man/woman, 2.5 children, all white, and Christian - preferably Baptist or Protestant) and
B) that only the above type of Family is acceptable or recognizable under the Constitution *thud*, and worked instead on their own personal values, this country would become - truly- a kinder, gentler place to live, not to mention more financially sound.
It's been a rough political season so far, no doubt about it, and I'm already tired of being told who should have rights and who shouldn't; which religions are real and worthy of building churches and which aren't; of battling politicians who don't know American history (or bend it so far backward to fit their will that it disappears) and suffer from 'Foot-in-Mouth" disease, that the next year and a half scare the hell out of me!
So yeah, maybe it is time to concentrate on PERSONAL VALUES. I honestly don't believe that the most popular Republican political phrase, "Family Values" has a place in Politics or laws and the phrase sure as hell isn't something to create a political issue out of in this day and age - if ever. Trying to legally define something so fluid, so subjective, is actually a monstrous and insidious thing to do.
On the other hand, I do believe that the phrase, "Personal Values" has a major seat of honor in politics. Those are the values, as a voter and a resident of this country - and world - that I'm interested in when it comes to the men and women I want representing me. And just what am I looking for in Personal Values? How about:
HONESTY
If a politician has done something wrong, do they have the character, the honesty, to step forward before there's even a hint of danger that their wrongdoing will be brought into the light? Are they, for interest, honest enough to fly against their own party, to say to their fellow party members, "You're wrong" and then vote their heart instead of how they're told to vote?
Can they be honest enough during campaigns to actually say, "Yes, I hate cauliflower, even though I'm here in the cauliflower capitol of the world" or "Yes, I believe that at a certain point, abortion is wrong, but I will never support taking the right to choose away from a woman even if it costs me your vote."
Can they be honest enough to say, "Yes, we have the right to own a gun, to take pride in gun collections, but who needs automatic weapons or AK47's? Who needs clips that fire off 30 bullets in an instant or the kind of bullets that tear through the vests of the men and women charged with protecting us? And rights or no rights, I will support full investigations into those who wish to purchase guns, even at gun shows, prior to permission to buy."
Do they value the kind of honesty that requires actually answering politically charged questions during interviews or debates and are they willing to divulge ALL campaign contributors and allow no hidden donators?
Do they place their honor above their allegiance to an affiliated party? Do they have the required honor, following honesty, to take the necessary steps to correct mistakes and behavior? Because of their sense of honor, will they say no to those who would fill their campaign coffers in exchange for 'favors'?
TRUSTWORTHY
Can we trust them to listen to us, to actually represent our needs and wishes and, if those needs are contrary to what's best and constitutional, do they have the earlier mentioned honesty and honor to tell us; to educate us; to explain why they voted as they did? And if a good law comes along that they vote against - due to all the amendments added on that they would never vote for - will they be trustworthy, honest and honorable enough again to tell us/show us/educate us? Can we trust them to vote as promised and have no qualms in revealing said vote?
There are more characteristics, but this is a good start for any politician and, if we were to ask ourselves who, among the many we listen to everyday in this, our current hour of difficulty, have these "Values", would we be able to come up with any names?
Even President Obama has let us down in some of the above when he finally compromised in the current 'negotiations' (now there's a laugh) regarding the debt ceiling by putting cuts to Medicare and Social Security on the table. There is no doubt that some reforms are required to make these programs run as smoothly as possible, but cutting the benefits is NOT the answer. Yet he did it. This shows a mental block that I just don't understand. He knows no matter what he does, they will say NO. NO NO NO. And yet...he can't seem to get the message. He's trying to take a high road where there is only one road to take: Push when it comes to shove and, like Theodore Roosevelt said, "Talk softly but carry a big stick". It's time for our soft-spoken President to lift the stick.
By the way, Personal Values aren't restricted to the politicians. Oh, no. Personal Values applies to the voters too! Politicians, even the honest ones (there's an assumption that there are some - somewhere), have a hard row to hoe and, in many cases, we're the reason. So what kind of Personal Values do we owe our Government?
EDUCATION:
This is the big one and the one where we most often fail our government. We fail to learn all we can about the men and women we're looking at to represent us; be it at city, state or federal levels. We fail to educate ourselves on how our representatives vote, let alone how many times they've even been present to vote. We're also lacking in our knowledge of the Constitution and our history, which in today's climate, can spell disaster. And it's so easy to find the Constitution (link taken directly from the White House site) and read it - so when was the last time you did?
We're often blind to the weaknesses of our Party and, as a result, we blindly follow its lead, even when it's against our best interest. No Party Platform is perfect and we all struggle to find the party that, on the whole, meets what we expect from government - but sometimes our Party goes astray. That's when we need some of the honesty and honor we require from our representatives - in ourselves - so we can take the
blinders off.
We often forget that everything we need to know is not to be found via our local - or favorite - news channel; but rather at our government's website, again, be it city, state or federal.
Example: The Federal Government website, which is the alpha and omega no matter where your search engine takes you first. This is where it all begins and will tell us all about our government; each branch - and has links to the House of Representatives where you can see all the votes, sessions, etc., and then the Senate and even the Supreme Court. And yes, plus many more. Heck, in the left hand column, you'll even find a link to your State government!
GETTING INVOLVED
We really tend to fail here and it's the keystone to our Personal Values in just about every aspect of our lives. Apathy is the enemy. Assumptions? Also the enemy - a big one. We often assume everyone feels as we do and will go out and vote/educate themselves/research, etc., but we're wrong. Americans are, unfortunately, basically lazy and, like sheep, simply follow the footsteps of others.
And finally, one Value that fits both our government representatives and ourselves:
Equality.
I could have used the word Tolerance instead, but no one should just be 'tolerated' because we don't agree/understand them but deign to allow them to exist, no, Acceptance and Equality are far more important words and thus actions than Tolerance. We 'tolerate' the loud neighbors next door every now and then when they have a party, or we tolerate our husband's inability to remember to put the seat back down or pick up his socks, but we should never do something so negative - and downright dismissive - as to tolerate the color of one's skin, religion or sexual preferences. We should accept those things as we accept the sunrise because we should be seeing through the eyes of equality not tolerance. If we think we only have to tolerate those who are perceived as 'different', it's not too far a walk to a point where we start believing that our color/religion/family/sexual preferences are the only right ones and then, even the disagreeable word, "tolerance", flies out the window and only certain people become worthy of the benefits our country has to offer.
So yes, a kinder, gentler politics is the answer, not the rigid type we're being handed each day even though it seems wrapped in the American flag, Mom's Apple Pie, and of course, the all-mighty 2nd Amendment.
Of course, kinder and gentler may be the way, but that won't stop me from calling out politicians when they make statements like:
"Any ad that quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood!" or
"My statements on Planned Parenthood weren't meant to be factual."
No, Foot-in-Mouth Disease will still be pointed out - and as for the flip-floppers? Still prime targets for the truth.
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