A Girl in the Middle...Looking for Friends!

At dinner with my girlfriends from law school, the subject of President Bush began…again.  The bashing was heating up, as were the generalizations against all “those people,” the Republicans.   I couldn’t help myself.  I pointed out that I was a registered Republican, because I knew that my mere existence defied the stereotypes they hold dear.  It was a bold move on my part, because I knew what to expect from my decade-old friends—looks of disgust, surprise, contempt, and confusion.  I could only get the pitchforks down by quickly pointing out that my own political affiliation had more to do with a philosophical stance on the place of government in our lives.  I assured them that I was unhappy with many current public officials, that I was a big fan of Barack Obama, and that I voted for many democrats in the last election.  This seemed to calm everyone down a little and I quickly changed topics while they shook their heads at my misguided allegiance.

It might just be my circles, but I have come to think of being republican as a deep, dark secret I dare not share.  I know my neighbors and friends would suddenly view me as some sort of nark—like I had been posing as their friend all this time, but in fact I was a gay-bashing, Bible-beating, Bush-lover, who was probably racist, greedy, and never recycled. 

Nothing could be farther from the truth of course.  And perhaps in today’s America, I shouldn’t even call myself a Republican anymore.  It’s hard to find a public official in the Republican Party who shares my views on social issues (at least publicly), but of course, it seems equally hard to find a Democrat who shares my views on economic issues.  What is a girl to do?

I find it unbelievable that in a society of 300 million and growing, there aren’t millions who are like-minded.  So I’m ready to come out of the shadows and find out.  And further, I’m here to find out what these like-minded people call themselves.  My own husband, a card-carrying Democrat, seems to agree with me on many issues, but he wouldn’t dare be called a Republican because of everything that word connotes to him.    

So let me just share some beliefs and see if I am as alone as I feel. 

I believe in the separation of church and state.  We seem to have ignored this tenet of our Constitution.  It seems absurd, improper, and misleading to have any public officials quoting the Bible in support of their drive to change laws or public policies.  It seems absurd to me that the White House is decorated for Christmas, a Christian holiday.  It seems wrong to dictate that public school children be forced to say “Under God” during the Pledge of Allegience.  This is supposed to be a melting pot of cultures and religions, and these kinds of actions endorse and assume a Christian collective mind-set.  I don’t like to think of the U.S. as being considered a Christian nation.  I’d rather it be considered a free nation that welcomes and accepts all religions.

Similarly, I don’t think the federal government should be weighing in on the topic of marriage.  Marriage is a religious ceremony.  It should be up to religious institutions to determine who they will and will not marry.  So if Joe Pastor wants to let Mary and Sally get married, so be it.  The federal government should simply ensure that all of its citizens are getting equal rights and protections under the laws.  I don’t really understand what everyone is so afraid of—the end of the human race?

I believe in a woman’s right to choose.  Again, I believe that when it comes to medical technology and procedures, like abortion, or genetic or stem cell research, it is up to the ethicists within the medical profession to determine what it will and will not do.  If the most learned and thoughtful medical minds support something, then it is not the place of the federal government to forbid private citizens or private industry from that pursuit.   

 

I believe in gun-control.  I believe that those who use the Second Amendment’s “right to bear arms” proclamation as the basis for their position are conveniently failing to acknowledge the changes in society since the time those words were written.

I’m sounding like a Democrat so far, I know.  But here’s where the trouble begins.  I believe that a large and powerful federal government is inefficient, ineffective, and ill-advised.   I believe that if you want your government to do some good for its citizens, you are better off giving greater control to the state governments so that a smaller body, overseeing a smaller population, can better determine the needs and desires of its citizens. 

I believe that the most effective way to help the less fortunate in a society is through private organizations and foundations.  And I believe that in a capitalist society there will, unfortunately, always be people who fall through the cracks.  This is not a communist country, or even one based on social democracy.  So if we, as citizens, believe that there are people who need help, financially, or otherwise, then we need to help them--with our own money and our time, on a regular basis.  I don’t think that the federal government is supposed to cure all that ails us.  

I believe that the only thing most Americans can agree on is that our federal government is full of bureaucracy.  How could it not be?  It is supposed to oversee 300 million people.  There are few things we let the government run—the mail, the roads, the schools and the welfare system.   And just about everyone agrees that there are major problems with all of these things.  The problems that have risen under The No Child Left Behind Act just seem to compound each year.  And I know that many democrats who are unhappy with the state of public education are glad to have to choice to send their child to private school.   Similarly, private industry and competition—like UPS and Federal Express seem to be the best thing that ever happened to the U.S. Postal Service. 

And yet the collective cry for a national health care system seems to ignore the fact that our federal government has a dismal track record when it comes to running businesses and social programs.  There are incredible complexities, consequences and bureaucracy that would accompany any health care program, but it seems like many people blindly support any candidate that pronounces his intention to push a national health care system.   Of course it would be nice for all citizens to have health care, and the issue should continue to be debated and studied and improvements could be made.  But no one is really thinking or talking about how difficult, in a capitalist society, a national health care system would be.  If we look at Canada, which provides health care to all, we need to acknowledge that Canadians see health care problems as one of their main concerns, are considering changes to their system, and many flock to the U.S. for health care.  If we look to Sweden, which also provides health care, we need to acknowledge that Sweden, with a population of nine million, has roughly the same number of people to care for as Michigan.    

Now I haven’t even touched on immigration, the environment, and God-forbid national security.  Do I dare?

Our country was founded by people running away from intolerant societies.  We have a statue that welcomes the tired, the huddled masses.  There are still atrocities that befall citizens of the world because of their religion, their sex, or their sexual orientation, and we should always be a safe haven for those people.  And of the almost one million people that pour in each year, many do so because we are supposed to be the land of opportunity.  That’s fine with me.  Let them in.  But this is a capitalist society after all, where we are expected to make it on our own.  If you want to live here, you better be ready to become a citizen, work, and pay taxes.  I know this is a simplification and certain states like California are overtaxed by the enormous influx of immigrants, but that is why California should have more power and discretion in deciding how to handle immigrants in their state.  I also realize that people are more nervous about our immigration policies because of terrorism, but the fact is that terrorists come from everywhere—including the U.S.  And if we start rejecting the millions who want to come here, start businesses, join their families, enrich our culture and benefit from our freedoms, just because there are some extremist murderers who will also be standing in those lines, then we begin losing the dream that was realized so long ago.          

     

I believe that the environment is in trouble.  Everyone seems to agree.  But some people would like the federal government to focus on the strictest environmental regulations, at the cost of other issues.   This issue, like many, is extremely complicated, but all I hear is “democrats” care for the environment and “republications” don’t.  There is a balancing act to consider because, of course, our strength as a nation is based on the economy and federally imposed regulations that cost too much, either to enforce or follow, must be considered in the analysis.  And I find it so frustrating to hear from a self-proclaimed liberal democrat, about how Joe Shmo Senator, the Republican, is a terrible choice because he’s “against the environment”…., while she drives her gas-guzzling, foreign-made, convertible BMW.  We now have hybrid cars, florescent lightbulbs, recycling programs, solar power options, and a multitude of choices that are environmentally friendly, hitting the markets.   The younger generations are learning about the environment and are likely to be more environment-savvy leaders.  Demand increases production and public outcry has a strong voice with the corporations of this country.  The people, in large numbers, need to show an interest and desire to make changes.  It has taken generations to create our problems and it will take generations to fix them.

Now I could end by discussing the war.  But I won’t.  The country is divided.  And the division seems to cross party lines.  So, I won’t even go there.   But I stand here now, feeling naked, exposed, and nervous.  Have I alienated everyone?  Or is it possible that there are a lot of us?  And if so, what are we?  If we just say “independents” we seem to be disregarded as a small and inconsequential voice.   I’ve met “moderate republicans” who share these views, as well as “conservative democrats”—maybe if we all started calling ourselves the same thing, we would find that we are a bigger voice than anyone ever knew!  Politicians might actually speak to us instead of just pandering to the far right and far left of the major parties.  I need a friend!

And I hope that perhaps even if I can’t find a single person who agrees with me on all these issues, this confessional will exemplify that there should be a few less assumptions about “us” and “them.”  Who are “we” and who are “they” anyway?!