finally

Though I’ve never seen a corpse try so hard to resuscitate itself.

Why I’m Not Worried

When I was going into Quiznos today for lunch the lady who went in right before me held the door open after she stepped inside.  This seemingly inconsequential nicety represents a much more profound truth that is the reason I’m not worried about the future of the country.  There is a lot of fear right now about a coming recession that is going to hit all of us very hard.  Personally, I don’t think it is going to be as bad as people say, but I’m not exactly a paragon of financial knowledge so don’t take my word for it.  That said, the sky isn’t falling.  If a recession really does hit and the economy slows, there will be a few hard years, maybe some tight budgets, but we will pull through and be alright because we are a country of people who inherently want to be nice to each other.  Sure there are greedy and less altruistic people who are only interested in others based on what they have to gain, but by and large, people want to help each other out.  We know that at the end of the day, come recession or economic boom, we are our best assets.  I think as Christians this is one of those great times where we can lead the way as the example of how to treat each other with love and respect, to show the light of Christ to those around us who might take a big hit.  This is also the reason that I’m increasingly drawn to support Obama for President.  As was referenced by Ted Kennedy today (who thought I would see the day where I agreed with that guy!), Obama is offering people a platform of change and hope.  He is hearkening back to Presidents like Reagan and JFK who lead the country through dark times with messages of hope.  Men who reminded us of why we, America, are the greatest country in the world.  I don’t mean that in an arrogant ethnocentric way, but rather in the sense we can be that City on a Hill, that Camelot, serving as a beacon to a world full of war and famine.  He is the only candidate that I see as someone who gives us a legitimate chance at a New Politics, a political landscape where we no longer are bickering over party lines but having substantial discussions of foreign and economic policy.  Maybe we can finally do something about Stage 2 subsidies, maybe we can finally find a real, lasting solution to illegal immigration.  Maybe we get policies that are more than just vote grabs.  We have had nearly 10 years of fighting over which party is the most corrupt and sleazy and with Obama we get someone who has no reason not to throw open the gates and run a transparent government that values truth and openness over deceit and bureaucracy.  This is the future I want to live in, this is the country I think we can be.  Will you join me?

So long Fred. . .

You may notice I have deleted the Fred Thompson link I used to have on the side of this page. I did that because, well, Fred seems to have completely disappeared off the face of the planet (seriously, can anyone at least confirm that he isn’t dead or passed out in an Iowa cornfield?). So this puts me back in the unfortunate position of once again having to pick a candidate to support in the upcoming (yeah, upcoming as in a year from now) presidential election. Before Iowa I was hesitant to be too vocal just because the field was so broad and there was little point in seriously scrutinizing any of the candidates because there were just so many of them. Well, I’ve made my pick. . . Barak Obama.

*ducks behind a table in case any passing Republicans try to throw something at my head*

Seriously though, if it is Huckabee and Obama, I’m voting for Barak. I came to this conclusion as a result of a mix of things I like about Obama and dislike about Huckabee. First off, my biggest concern with Huckabee is, unfortunately and ironically, his faith. Not that I doubt his convictions or take issue with his faith in general. Rather it is his hints at taking back America for Christ. Now, this is a admirable goal and one I can support. . . coming from the pulpit. I’m concerned that if Huckabee is the President it will be four more years of “God told me. . . ” politics. There is a reason state and religion should be separate, they don’t play well together. Politicized faith is how we end up vilifying peaceful mainstream Islam and entrenching ourselves in an us vs. them world view. Would I like to live in a country where the majority of people were honest and sincere Christians? Of course! But I’m not willing to hand the keys to the country over to someone who thinks that by “taking back” America we can fix it.

Now on the Obama side, I think he is the most exciting candidate I have seen in my “grown-up” life. I don’t agree with every single one of his policies but he does something that I don’t see any other candidate doing. He isn’t playing to his party base, he is going out and telling people it is time to move beyond right and wrong, liberal and conservative, etc and come together to find solutions to the issues we face as a nation. He is seeking to inspire people to be active members of their community and seek political compromise. Maybe you believe in higher taxes, maybe you believe in reduced spending, maybe you believe in both, but regardless of how you feel, we need to figure out how to cut the national debt. Maybe you believe in privatizing social security, maybe you believe in universal health care, whatever, we need to sit down as a nation and figure out a plan that is a long term solution, not just another patch job. I like that he wants to trade increased salaries and more resources for more accountability in schools. I like that he says we need to stop wasting time and make some tough decisions about immigration. You can argue he doesn’t have the experience of Hilary or Gulianni or McCain but the fact he comes from outside the political machine is one of the things I like most about him. Now, traditionally, “outsiders” haven’t always garnered the most support in Congress once in office but I think people are getting fed up with capitol tit for tat. I really do believe in the idea of a post-partisan movement. I laugh at the fact I’m questioning my identification as a Republican now that I’m arguing for a Democratic presidential candidate but I think this has been a long time coming. I think the way the Republicans took a dive off the right end of the party line and the Democrats have done nothing but domestic saber rattling over the last four years is leading people to re-examine their traditional party affiliations. I think that is why Libertarian candidates have seen a rise in popularity and I think that is (part) of why Ron Paul has enjoyed so much success on the internet. I think back to the movie Bullworth where Warren Beatty played a politician who’s political campaign takes off when he starts “telling it like it is” and forcing people to examine their views. I think it is time we stir the pot a little and get people to examine what it means to be a conservative (eg sound fiscal policy, limited government, empowering individuals) or a liberal (eg transparent government, true freedom of speech [yes, even for those crazy "hate mongering" Christians you despise], etc.). Anyway, Coffee Cat is getting ready to close so I’ll wrap this up for now. I was going to write a few more posts about some photography stuff I have going on and some other ideas I have running through my head but those will have to wait for now. Ciao!