(commented on November 9th, 2012 @ 8:48 pm)Diane, it would be great if our paths eventually crossed so we could discuss these issues. Tea would be great but it would have to be of the Long Island variety. Yep, I was born in the U.S. and likely not far from you..Englewood, N.J. I grew up in Lunenburg, MA. My grandfather on my father's side was from New Brunswick. My grandparents on my mother's side were from Nova Scotia, I believe. That family history’s a bit vague. My father's mom was from Finland.
To be honest, I think most political divisions stem from whether we were born and raised in urban or rural areas. In most rural areas, folks have lived next to one another for generations. When someone's in need of assistance, it's usually readily available from friends, neighbors, and local organizations. This isn't true in urban areas. When you're down and out, it's a dog-eat-dog world and you can only hope that some help will come to you and those you support in the form of government assistance.
My wife and I received WIC after my first son was born. I was working 60-plus hours/week in kitchens while finishing up my Bachelor’s on the GI Bill. I’m exceptionally grateful for the free diapers, milk, cereal, bread, etc. we received and I’ll always be happy to give back. I’ve since earned my Master’s in information science. I’m an academic librarian and I can honestly say I can’t imagine a better profession. My wife is a project manager at a large law firm. I think she’s outrageously well-compensated and, in addition to her salary, she gets outrageously large bonuses. She’d argue with me on the “outrageous” part. But neither of us complains when 36% or her bonuses go to Uncle Sam.
I know there are some who abuse social programs. In the same light, I know there are some EPA and OSHA regulations which are entirely asinine and counterproductive. This situation doesn’t necessitate the elimination of social spending and regulations. I believe some conservatives see flaws in governance and are willing to sacrifice the good for the sake of the perfect. I’m not. There’s room for improvement but the dialog needs to be honest and open.
A large part of my job consists of evaluating sources for validity, accuracy, and bias. Unfortunately, most Americans (liberals and conservatives) rely on op/ed pieces from commercial sources. I believe in the value of peer review and I base most of my views on what I read in scholarly journals. What I’ve read in these publications has not supported Romney/Ryan claims about economic issues. I’ve heard the claims that academia is “liberally biased.” But where’s the profit motive? Academics stake their careers on what they publish and review for their peers. PhD’s are hard-earned and they mean nothing once credibility has been sacrificed for a political cause.
I’ve read and heard plenty of personal accounts describing Romney’s character. I don’t doubt that he is a truly decent and respectable individual. However, I don’t think he’s capable of wrapping his mind around the adversities some people face in life. I think Obama has this ability. And I think it’s a prerequisite for the presidency.
I also think our nation’s political discourse over the last 18 months has been entirely dishonest. I’ve yet to find a reliable source which supports the notion that oil prices will go down if we increase drilling on American soil. To see low gas prices, look at Venezuela. Its oil industry is nationalized and it has the lowest gas prices in the world. The allegedly radical and Socialist nature of Obamacare is equally questionable. The individual mandate was supported by Nixon, Reagan, Gingrich, Milton Friedman, Romney, and the Heritage Foundation. It garnered this support because it mandates individual accountability. And I have an impossible time imagining Obama as a Socialist when he has the backing of Goldman Sachs (in both presidential campaigns) and allows the likes of Larry Summers and Geithner to influence economic policies.
As always, thanks for responding thoughtfully to my comments. Diane, I think you’ll always be politically engaged and you certainly shouldn’t feel depressed or dejected because of the election results. Politics swing on a pendulum. That’s part of the problem. If they could only stop mid-swing.
(commented on November 7th, 2012 @ 7:15 pm)Diane, I can't help but wonder why your articles are accessible via this website. Your articles and the reasoning behind them are vastly superior to everything else I've found here. You and I disagree on many, many issues but I respect your sincerity. It's clear that love of country and intellectual curiosity are are your driving forces. They're mine as well. I believe I did the rational, intelligent, and responsible thing when I voted for Obama.
The Republicans should have won this election easily. However, they selected a candidate almost entirely lacking in credibility. They focused on petty issues like birth certificates and college transcripts. They labeled Obama, who is obviously in the pockets of the Wall Street elite, as a Socialist. He was heavily backed by Goldman Sachs and an endless line of millionaires and billionaires in both elections. Americans recognized these accusations as absurd, spiteful, and petty. And Obamacare..it requires capable Americans to purchase insurance from private insurance companies. This is a FAR cry from a Socialist agenda. There were countless legitimate criticisms which Republicans could have aimed at Obama. But they went with the most outlandish and lost as a result.