Political feelings & the only 4 rules you need for politics
/A few important things before I tread into the murky waters of political commentary:
I grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh five days a week—start to finish. I’m not joking when I say I clocked as many hours listening to political showmanship as some children spent watching Sesame Street.
I went to and graduated from a four-year university and benefited from some outstanding political science minds. In large thanks to them, my opinions now sit on both sides of the aisle, mainly because it’s easier to invite friends to brunch when you understand how they operate.
I am a Christian, though I use that in the most hesitant of ways mainly because Christians give me and my friends a bad rep. But, nonetheless, you’ll see my ideas influenced by Judeo-Christian belief systems. I was raised charismatic/loosey goosey non-denominational Christian and am now a confirmed Roman Catholic.
A friend asked me this morning to share my views on politics. Keep it short, she said.
Politics are dumb. Use common sense.
She then asked how I felt about Hillary Clinton running for office.
1. I think it’s great for America that we have a female candidate, but I need to read more about Ms. Clinton’s platform.
2. Friendliness to small business has always been a huge factor for me because I think that’s what makes America amazing. And of course, now that I’m a business owner I’ve got some skin in the game.
My friend said she was excited from a historical perspective, but she didn’t know much about Ms. Clinton’s standings either. I considered this an open door to keep going.
3. I’ve decided that, in general, I’m evaluating a politician on their willingness to let people live their lives unencumbered. Fairness, rule of law. I’m not interested in choosing a candidate just because they’re pro-life or anti-birth control. Those are God’s issues and super complicated. I’d much prefer a candidate who errs on the side of letting the people address those things.
4. For better or worse, the government is entangled in these touchy issues. And I do believe there needs to be funding for the “least of these.” Until the Church can get Her shit in order, we have to take responsibility for the fact that we gave the government no choice but to intervene for the sake of population preservation.
5. I won’t support a candidate who wants to blindly cut off funding to this program or that program because it’s “wrong to support these lifestyles” or some similar bullshit. These are lives and you can’t just sit in your ivory tower and say you’re going to take away their ability to have food for the sake of a moral imperative that’s shoved up your ass alone.
In summary, here are my four big rules for politics:
Big Rule No. 1: You can’t be against Big Government programs if you’re also against Big Church, Big Hearts or Big Generosity.
Big Rule No. 2: Embrace ideas, not sound bites.
Big Rule No. 3: If you’ve had food on your kitchen table every day of your life, your highest calling is to make sure your neighbor has food, too.
Big Rule No. 4: Vote for the person whose spirit of governance is in harmony with your beliefs and also backed up by consistent voting records. Politics will never be straightforward. Politicians are prepped to make big promises to win votes. Don’t begrudge them for working inside a system you condone day in and day out.