What we Say. What we Hear.
by Clayton Mabey
OCT-21st-2012
What we Say. What we Hear.
by Clayton Mabey
OCT-21st-2012
Never before have I seen an election season as heated or as closely followed as this one. Obama vs. Romney is everywhere. I find myself getting engulfed in the issues and then wanting to share my thoughts with everyone I see. Fortunately, I am not alone. People don't seem to be afraid or even hesitate to voice opinions. Facebook has facilitated this vehicle by which we are able to interject ourselves and our views into the lives "or boards" of people whom we haven't seen, talked to or even thought of for decades. Online debates often become heavy and heated, the campaign talking points from both sides are regurgitated over and over yet we seem to be completely baffled by the fact that the other side cannot "see the light"...and here comes the million dollar question. Is it possible to engage in these heated and often contentious discussions with friends and not allow it to affect our friendships?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I happen to be a strong conservative. Am I a war monger? I don't think so. Am I a racist? No. Do I hate women? Lol...no. Am I rich? Absolutely not. Well then, why align myself with a party that embraces ALL of these things? Does it? Come on...
I'm grateful and quite fortunate to associate with quite a diverse group of friends. I grew up in an ultra-conservative state, but surprisingly, about half of my closest friends have drifted from conservative to liberal and the other half have become even more conservative. We get together several times a year for golf, movies, dinner, etc. Our wives have even developed close friendships outside of "the guys". I feel very lucky to interact with people from both sides of the fence. I feel this is vital if common ground is ever to be found. People who feed off only MSNBC or only Fox News are doing themselves a huge disservice.
I admit that I get frustrated by the lack of understanding that the left seems to have on conservative issues and principles. Here are a couple of examples...
Conservative principle: Reduce the size of the safety net.
The left will usually say, "Conservatives don't care about people. They are fine to watch someone starve before they will help someone in need. They probably just want to keep all the money for themselves". Well, what are the facts? Did you know that 13 out of the 16 states that give the most money to charity are red states (including the top 8)? Why is this? A conservative principle says that people care for people and that they are actually quite good at it. The liberal principle is that people give to government and government cares for people. Liberals feel that when they are taxed at a higher rate, they know it is used to broaden the "safety net" and increase government aid. When people give this money to the government, many feel they have done their part and don't feel the need to help any more. It comes down to this. Is it more compassionate to broaden government support by increasing the number of food stamps or does it show even more compassion to focus on getting the economy roaring again so people are able to get good jobs, become self-reliant and secure a safety net for only those who really need it?
Here's another conservative principle: Reduce taxes for everyone, including the rich.
This concept will usually make a liberal's head explode. Coming from someone who is not rich, how could I possibly espouse such a nasty principle? To me, it makes a whole lot of sense. Rather than continue to demonize the wealthy and say that they don't pay their fair share, we should increase the number of people who pay taxes (not the amount) and when this is done, the overall tax burden can go down. Do liberals know that the top 5% pay 60%+ of the total tax burden? The goal should be to reduce the tax burden on everyone. How is this done? Focus on getting the economy roaring again so people are able to get good jobs, become self-reliant and be in a position to help with the tax burden. Wait a second...This was the same answer that was given above! Exactly, and to my point.
Getting the economy going is the best way to care for the poor and needy as well as increase the total amount of taxes received so that this country can pay down the ever increasing debt. These huge government programs such as Obamacare will cripple business and discourage new hiring. It's too expensive and will not help the economy. The country is NOT heading in the right direction.
Romney is your guy to get this done. He's not a guy you can shoot hoops with or grab a beer after work, but he is a fixer. He really is. Proven time and time again.