U.S. Presidential Elections
I have to post something on the upcoming U.S. Presidential Elections as it has been most interesting, and perhaps one of the most urgently important elections that I have faced as a voter in my voting lifetime (which hasn't been too long). I've watched the debates and the last one I listened to was the VP debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin.
But let me just venture to encourage you to think about some issues. I've outlined some of them here, and obviously they are not exhaustive, but they are what particularly come to my mind at this time:
We need to think about our choice, not just related to our personal interests, but the well-being and harmony of the majority of the "people" (I say a majority because the rich and wealthy don't find themselves in the same situation the rest of us do). Not only that, but we Americans need to understand that the choice we make come November impacts the rest of the world as well..... So I encourage you to think about it.
This isn't an election where so-called "moral" issues are at stake; this is an election where our very real and practical future is at stake. It is about how to decrease the ever-widening income gap between the rich and the poor; it is about how to bring social justice to the table; it is about living in harmony not false superiority with our global community; it is about embracing more than the elite; it is about taking a stand and making sure the United States isn't frowned upon with disgust and it is about so much more. I think these are the very real and sobering sort of "moral" issues we really need to consider. The rest of the world is holding their breath, hoping that we will make the right choice on November 4th. I hope we can too.
On a more personal note: I know that a lot of people I know are conservatives. Quite frankly, I'm no longer a conservative. I have discovered that I cannot support a party platform that while pushing "moral" issues has supported the widening income gap between the rich and the poor, and has contributed to the wealth of the wealthy while dismissing the need for reform in caring for the well-being of the poor and downtrodden of this country. Furthermore, I cannot in good conscience propel myself as a good Christian when the conservatives I thought I was a part of consistently sever the least that a government can be designed to do for the struggling people of this nation. Social justice is largely absent from that conservative vein on a party-level, and on a governmental level - even if it is very apparent in the private sector. I didn't know that as Christians we were to fragment our beliefs between what is in the public sphere and the private sphere. And if conservatives are bent on "moral" issues, "family" values, and minimal government intervention, what about the call to seek justice, defend the poor and the needy, and care for the less fortunate? Isn't that also part of the Christian's calling, rather than simply getting so worried that the morality of this society will deteriorate if those "liberals" take over? Why is the "morality" of society so narrowly defined? What about values of justice, of compassion, and of reaching out to those in need? What about not pointing out the speck in someone else's eye and instead removing the plank in our own? But that's just me.... It's not that I don't understand where most people who are conservative come from. Hey, I was one! I don't agree with everything on either party platforms. I am beginning to believe that Jesus was neither right-wing or left-wing but rather a radical. And while this election only gives us two choices, of which I am obviously driven to one and not the other based on what I just wrote, I think it behooves us as Christians to find a way to get rid of the false dichotomy and approach things from a more radical perspective. Maybe the question isn't "what would Jesus do" but rather "what DID Jesus do?" and follow that example.... I don't think it just applies to the "private" sector but applies just as appropriately to the "public" sphere.
But let me just venture to encourage you to think about some issues. I've outlined some of them here, and obviously they are not exhaustive, but they are what particularly come to my mind at this time:
- What are the candidates' stand on Darfur?
- What are their records for human rights related activities?
- Do their VP picks have the same stand on Darfur and human-rights issues?
- What do they consider the "middle class"?
- Are they really looking out for the interests of a majority of the American people or just the wealthy few?
- What about their stand on the Iraq war which is affecting too many people at this point?
- Are the candidates really considering what issues we face as Americans, or are they obstinately pursuing a one-sided view of how things must be?
- Do they understand what goes on in working class families and what struggles are occurring, or do they only espouse they do and yet live lives of great comfort that 6-figure salaries can so lushly afford?
- Do they realistically and seriously consider the issues facing educators and education today or are they still interested in the privatization of education and pushing "No Child Behind" theories that fall apart at the state level - but that's okay with them because that's really the states' business anyway?
We need to think about our choice, not just related to our personal interests, but the well-being and harmony of the majority of the "people" (I say a majority because the rich and wealthy don't find themselves in the same situation the rest of us do). Not only that, but we Americans need to understand that the choice we make come November impacts the rest of the world as well..... So I encourage you to think about it.
This isn't an election where so-called "moral" issues are at stake; this is an election where our very real and practical future is at stake. It is about how to decrease the ever-widening income gap between the rich and the poor; it is about how to bring social justice to the table; it is about living in harmony not false superiority with our global community; it is about embracing more than the elite; it is about taking a stand and making sure the United States isn't frowned upon with disgust and it is about so much more. I think these are the very real and sobering sort of "moral" issues we really need to consider. The rest of the world is holding their breath, hoping that we will make the right choice on November 4th. I hope we can too.
On a more personal note: I know that a lot of people I know are conservatives. Quite frankly, I'm no longer a conservative. I have discovered that I cannot support a party platform that while pushing "moral" issues has supported the widening income gap between the rich and the poor, and has contributed to the wealth of the wealthy while dismissing the need for reform in caring for the well-being of the poor and downtrodden of this country. Furthermore, I cannot in good conscience propel myself as a good Christian when the conservatives I thought I was a part of consistently sever the least that a government can be designed to do for the struggling people of this nation. Social justice is largely absent from that conservative vein on a party-level, and on a governmental level - even if it is very apparent in the private sector. I didn't know that as Christians we were to fragment our beliefs between what is in the public sphere and the private sphere. And if conservatives are bent on "moral" issues, "family" values, and minimal government intervention, what about the call to seek justice, defend the poor and the needy, and care for the less fortunate? Isn't that also part of the Christian's calling, rather than simply getting so worried that the morality of this society will deteriorate if those "liberals" take over? Why is the "morality" of society so narrowly defined? What about values of justice, of compassion, and of reaching out to those in need? What about not pointing out the speck in someone else's eye and instead removing the plank in our own? But that's just me.... It's not that I don't understand where most people who are conservative come from. Hey, I was one! I don't agree with everything on either party platforms. I am beginning to believe that Jesus was neither right-wing or left-wing but rather a radical. And while this election only gives us two choices, of which I am obviously driven to one and not the other based on what I just wrote, I think it behooves us as Christians to find a way to get rid of the false dichotomy and approach things from a more radical perspective. Maybe the question isn't "what would Jesus do" but rather "what DID Jesus do?" and follow that example.... I don't think it just applies to the "private" sector but applies just as appropriately to the "public" sphere.
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