25 Things…

1.       My panties aren’t all in a bunch because of global warming but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about the environment.  In fact, I am quite eager to do my part to help preserve our beautiful earth.

2.       I understand perfectly well that your church and religion don’t want to accept gay marriage.  I get that you think that homosexuality is deviant and wrong.  So don’t have gay marriages in your church and teach your children whatever you deem necessary and correct.

3.       I also understand that homosexuals are citizens of The United States of America and that “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without the due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” 14^th Amendment

4.       I believe strongly in women’s reproductive freedoms.  Personally, I believe that life begins at conception, but I know that many people consider that either an inconvenient truth or inconsequential. I do, however, think that abortions should be carried out with more thought put to any potential pain that the baby may suffer.  This is not a trivial matter, nor is it an issue designed to chip away at women’s rights.  To say that this issue can only be decided one way or the other, either abortion is legal under any and all circumstances or it is always illegal, is to undervalue our ability to think through and find solutions to complex issues. 

5.       Stem cell research is not illegal.  As for now, I can think of no legal reason the government shouldn’t fund the research, but I can say that I feel that it is wrong (not for religious reasons, but for ethical ones) to use aborted tissue considering how abortions are currently performed.  In my case, there is no issue with separation of church and state since I don’t object to it for religious reasons.

6.       I don’t think that parenting should be outsourced.  That being said, I also understand that a lot of families either want or need to be dual income homes.  Fine.  Do what you’ve got to do to make yourself happy or to take care of your family.  But that’s just it.  It’s your family, and your choice.  Don’t ask me to pay for your daycare, nannies and/or  babysitters through tax dollars.

7.       There has got to be a better solution than nationalized healthcare.  We expect to have to pay for our own car repairs, our own beauty salon visits and other “upkeep” types of actions.  So should we expect to save and pay for basic medical care.  We also need to find ways to make insurance affordable, not through big government, so that responsible people can be in charge of covering their own bases in case something catastrophic should occur.

8.       I believe that children have no choices in life and they are stuck with whatever they get in the parenting department and that their needs should always be met (until they are 18).  That includes food, education and healthcare for children.

9.       The 2^nd Amendment actually does exist.  Really.  And it pretty clearly states that we have the right to bear arms.  If you don’t like it, then don’t own a gun.  But don’t tell me that I can’t. 

10.   How we treat the most vulnerable in our society is the litmus test for our humanity.   I believe that we should treat animals with respect and dignity. 

11.   I am all for traditional values.  We have come so far in recent years in terms of acceptance and tolerance.  The days of scarlet letters, slavery and gender inequality have faded or are fading into the past.  Sometimes, though, it feels like we’ve thrown out the baby with the bath water.  Building strong family values, discouraging teenagers from engaging in risky behavior, encouraging people to acknowledge and take responsibility for mistakes and holding ourselves to high expectations are all qualities that our society has abandoned.  I believe that there can be a happy medium where we can be tolerant of differences but are still able to acknowledge that are some traditions that are important.

12.  Conservatives have lost their way.  The past 8 years have seen a president who behaved more like a free spending Democrat than a fiscal conservative.  Moreover, a preoccupation (from certain members of the Republican Party but mostly from the main stream media) with associating the Republican Party with the Christian religion has alienated people who would otherwise consider themselves conservatives.  I think that religion is something that brings a richness and joy to many peoples’ lives.  I have absolutely nothing against people of faith.  But when I think of “traditional conservative values” I don’t think of any particular religious belief as being one of them.  A core belief in the free market, small government and strong family values are what I think of.  There are some of us "Godless heathens" that share those beliefs, too.  There is room for us all in the conservative movement.

13.   Our tax system is currently set up to take more from the people who produce the most.  That may seem fair, after all, they have the most to give, right? It’s true that they have more to give, but what gives the rest of us the right to decide how much is enough for any one person? I hear the argument from Democrats,   “Well, I don’t care if I get taxed more.  I’m okay with that.” Wonderful!  Then you give more and stop forcing other people that you think “don’t need the money” to keep giving.    

14.   The Fair Tax is the truly equal way for us all to contribute to taxes. 

15.   Protectionism is not going to encourage manufacturing here.  Labor costs, unions and crushing taxes are what keep our companies unable to keep up with foreign competitors.  Giving manufacturers a reason to want to manufacture here in the United States is the only long term solution.  We are falling behind and trying to force us to keep up without significant reform is like an elephant towing a yacht trying to outrace a quarter horse.

16.   A big government is totally inefficient.  Even the largest, most successful companies in the world aren’t trying to micromanage the lives of 300 million people.

17.   Federalism helps divide an unmanageable task into one that can be handled effectively.  Our Constitution has provided for states’ having the ability to govern according to the specific needs of their populations.  For example, why blame the federal government for being unable to manage disaster prevention programs when an individual state would know best what it needs?

20.   I have nothing against immigrants.  I am a child of immigrants.  I am totally against illegal immigration and want to see our borders carefully monitored and to have safeguards in place to remove those visitors who have expired visas.  I also do not think that our government should be spending a dime on aid for illegal immigrants.   If our society cares so much about them, then we should as private citizens set up whatever we want to give aid.  Stop wasting our taxpayers money on criminals.  Babies born to illegal immigrants should not be given automatic U.S. citizenship. We waste billions of dollars every year on illegal immigrants.

21.   Our Congressmen receive way too many perks.  It is ridiculous that they have their insurance premiums covered by us, that they don’t pay into the Social Security system and that they have a pension plan at all.  Term limits might not be a bad idea, either.

22.   Our education system is in need of a major overhaul.  I think that a well educated society is in our best interests, and that it is not a waste of money to ensure that we have one.  However, I don’t necessarily believe that what we have in place now is the best way to go about it.  Competition breeds excellence, and I think that a voucher system may be a way of forcing schools to operate at high standards.  It is worth looking into, since throwing more money into the current system certainly isn’t working.

23.   I know that a genteel and sophisticated society nurtures its artists and musicians, but I guess we are not quite there yet when rather than voluntarily spending money on it we are being forced to through our tax dollars. Improving and maintaining our infrastructure, security and safety is crucial.  Spending money on arts endowments is not.

24.   The veterans of our country should never want for our highest levels of care.  They are the ones who have volunteered to sacrifice for all of the rest of us.  Their personalities are often such that they do not want to demand, and would never dream of demanding, entitlements for their sacrifices. They deserve our utmost respect, as do their families.

25.   Our country is currently headed down a path from which we will not easily return.  We have effectively burdened our children with a catastrophic debt.  We waste money on programs that shouldn’t exist.  We have borrowed against our future with no clear understanding of how we will pay this off.  Taxing the wealthy to within their last dimes will not eradicate this debt. Unless we fight back against this tide of socialism, we are going to watch our country dwindle away into irrelevancy and obscurity.   But the resiliency of the American people has been tested before, and the old fire in the hearts of independent, free thinking Americans has always prevailed.  Hope and change can be our new battle cry, and shout it we will as more people realize that we fell for a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

You and I are in total agreement that education should be a priority for us as a society.  I think that there are only long term benefits to be had from a population that is well educated.  I’m not as certain that the structure we currently have is the best there is to offer, but I haven’t yet gotten to reading more about voucher systems and other alternatives.  In the meantime, we have to do the best by what we have now.  It is appalling that Arizona ranks so low in per child spending.  I also want equal education opportunities for all children, not just the privileged few that live in a couple of select districts.

Of course, the question is how best to accomplish that.  Our budget cannot sustain all of the programs that we are funding.  There are, in my opinion,  some fundamental areas which the government must spend on.  Education, defense, infrastructure and care for the truly needy.  Everything else is extra, and once we stop spending on the extras we should have more left for the necessities.  I have zero problem paying taxes.  They are necessary for building strong communities and a strong country.  My problem is with having a small percentage of the population paying for the majority.  This country gives people opportunities to grow their wealth and I think that those people should have to pay taxes.  But so should everyone else.  Taking more from some because they have “enough”  to give to everyone else isn’t right. And if people want to choose to give more, then they by all means should.  I have been reading about the Fair Tax and support the idea of a consumption tax.  For now, we are in a real pickle, since our budget crisis cannot go without immediate action being taken.  I hope (maybe wishful thinking) that there are places other than K-12 where that can happen.

There are many people out there who profess to feel sorrow for me, a person who has no religion, who has "no faith." I implore them not to take pity on me, for though I do not share their idea of spirituality, I am, indeed, a happy, whole and functioning member of society. My truth may be very different from yours, but that doesn't make it invalid.  The beauty in a free society is that we can all live together and not be exactly the same.  Some of the important ideas that we must share are the belief in the strength of families, the importance of limits placed on government growth and the belief in personal responsibility and accountability.  With those we can certainly bridge the gap between particulars and live together in harmony.

Being pro gay marriage makes me more conservative, not less.  There are people who want to build strong, two parent families and I can't see why we can't include them in our society.  I am far more troubled by the fact that we have so many daycare, babysitter, nanny raised children, single parent homes and abortions than I am by the fact that there is a group out there that wants to be a part of traditional marriage. Just because something offends you personally doesn't give you the right to tell others how to live.  The thought of what my pasty skinned, pot bellied, middle aged hetero neighbors had to do to be blessed with their offspring makes me shudder to the core of my being.  (And, yes, I am aware that they probably feel the exact same way about me.) But as long as "it" is between consenting adults, the rest of us should leave well enough alone.  Personally, I look forward to adding to the number of families where the parents are actually married and want to take responsibility for raising families with love and attention. 

As a McCain/Palin supporter, Tuesday night was a disappointment.  My children, ages 11 and 8, woke up Wednesday to hear the unhappy news.  My 8 year old immediately began complaining about Barack Obama, and my 11 year old soon chimed in.  I listened to them vent for a few minutes.  As upsetting as it is, Obama won the election.  He is our President Elect. Our President Elect, not just the leader of the majority who voted him in, but the future leader of the United States of America.  I explained this to my children, who looked at me questioningly.  After all, they have become used to their friends and their friend's families disrespecting and belittling George Bush for 8 years.  They wondered why isn't their turn now.  I tried to explain to them that we are not like their friends and their friend's families.  We understand the difference between respectful, intelligent criticism and name calling.  We will respect the role of our President even as we may disagree with his policies.  I don't have any idea if what I said made sense to them, or will provide any comfort in the upcoming months as their fellow students continue to denigrate our country and our current leader.  I think that they need to find some new friends...