Issues vs World Views

Many people look at the issues facing our Nation and and define who they are by their positions on those issues. But, the issues are not the real underlying problems.  It  goes much deeper and is more basic than that.

During the campaign, I was not enamored by McCain. However, I didn’t enter the voting booth and vote for the lessor of two evils. I voted for who I thought most espoused my values and beliefs.

I voted based on the principals that are at the base of each party platform and how they view the world. The difference in the political parties is the difference in their basic world view…or how they view the world, and how they view man.

I would summarize it like this

The Republican party tends to stand for smaller government that expects people to provide for themselves if they are able and the Democrats stand for a larger government determined to provide for the masses.

The Democrats have long espoused more government services and less personal accountability. Defense is very much secondary to them. Their tendency is to tax at higher rates affecting the poor and the rich – the philosophy being that the higher rates level the playing field between rich and poor. (or most recently a sharing of the wealth)

The Republicans espouse a desire for more personal responsibility and less government intrusion in life and business. Republicans lean to spending on defense and on infrastructure that enhances business growth and more employment — the things that yield more tax revenue when taxes are lower.

Many people get caught up in voting for the candidate and not the deeper core values of each party. The Founding Fathers knew that all of us are capable of greed and the lure of power. Therefore, they instituted the balance of power with our systems of checks and balances vested in the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches of Government.They saw that the “nature of man” must be tempered by a system that holds that power and greed in check.

Most of our differences can be boiled down to how we interpret the Constitution. Most Republicans interprete it word of word, and look at precedents set by landmark cases written over the last 200 years.

Democrats tend to see the Constitution as living and breathing and believe times have changed therefore we need new interpretations.

One Nation

We all love America, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Green Party,Independents, Conservatives, and Liberals.

When we talk about issues here on Sunday mornings, we are really discussing our core values and how we see the nation being run. We can debate all day long on individual issues but the basis of who we are and how we vote is determined by adhering to our philosophy of the core democratic values we believe in.

Issues come and go. Values and beliefs tend to stay steady and define who we are. They are not so easily changed. They become a part of who we are, and were usually formed in our homes and families.

However, we are all still One Nation, Under God with Liberty and Justice for ALL. That value alone should unite us. Right now there is a war going on inside both parties to which philosophy will rule. It should be an interesting next few years.

***this post is NOT about the 2 party system, which IMO is broke. At this point in my life I’m not sure I am anything but American.***