TODAY I CHOOSE TO BE RESPECTFUL!

Yesterday I had the chance to reply to a post on Facebook that I was disturbed by, not because I disagreed with the person for believing what they did but for the blanket statement they made. I have a hard time dealing with people who make "One size fits all statements" about anyone or group. Since this is an election year, I have plenty of fodder.

In the post yesterday, the poster called Arizona Governor Jan Brewer a witch for attacking Mr. Obama verbally. I commented with a question as to why she was a witch and was it because she disagreed with the President? The reply was even more inflammatory in that he said no, any American has the right to disagree with the President but "Her fascism is abhorrent and that's what makes her a witch. The Eva Braun of Arizona maybe?" This blew my mind.

I went to Dictionary.com to make sure my understanding of the word Fascism was correct. It was and I copied and pasted the definition into the conversation. I also questioned wasn't Eva Braun Hitler's mistress? I asked if maybe he was suggesting Brewer was Mr. Obama's mistress and he was the Fascist? Okay, I went too far with the last comment, but the point is Americans have a tough choice to make this year. The last election had turned into a muck-fest where both sides chose to sling mud at the other. I personally did not vote for the President and I had many friends who did. There were some lively debates that year! I think I have never been called a racist so much as when I told someone I either wasn't voting for Him or I disagreed with one of his policies!

This election is a serious one and I for one, along with many Americans are scared for our country. I have listened to both sides for nearly 6 years and I have come to the conclusion that BOTH sides have some GOOD ideas and BOTH sides have some BAD ideas. What we need is a leader that will bring the country together, rather than further divide it.

I will start this off with a disclaimer: I am a registered Republican, but I do vote for the best candidate regardless of party. With that said, I would like to address the things that have bothered me during the last political election:

Mr. Obams is NOT a Muslim and he IS a U.S. Citizen. Saying He is a Muslim because his Dad was a Muslim is akin to saying I am a Catholic because my Dad was. Okay, I was Catholic for 15 years, but that was a conscious choice, not a birthright. The thing is here, I was no more a Catholic than Obama was a Muslim just because of our Father. As for the U.S. Citizenship thing, there is no way in this country and all the reporting that has to take place to run for office,that the man could have slipped into the race without providing a valid birth certificate. END OF STORY.

The second thing from the last election that bothers me is this: Just because I disagree with a Liberal, the president, or Democrats in general does NOT make me a racist. The President is Black--Big Deal! I disagree with most Liberal leaning agendas and have for a long time and before Mr. Obama, no one ever threw the race card at me. Sure I was called a bumbling idiot and a buffoon but never a racist until now.

The Far right made the last election about Religion and Citizenship and the Liberal Left made it about Race. Thus began the Great Divide. The country has continued to split down the middle between race, ethnic,age and socio-economic lines. The country is more more divided than at any other time in History other than the Civil War. Even more divided than the Viet Nam War era!

The country is at such polar opposites between the parties that we could very well be looking at a class war. The Far Right has continued to make this election about Religion and Citizenship (immigration) and the Far Left has made it about Race and Class (Occupy Wall Street and Obamacare). The truth is, it is about to get ugly!

In my opinion, we need to think about one thing this election: The economy! Until the economy is back on track, we are not going to get the other things accomplished. We need someone to bring both sides together and get people working again. That is the main priority. All else depends on it.

As for the other issues we hear about: Obamacare--everyone needs to be able to go to the doctor when they are sick but demanding all people buy insurance is not the solution. Stimulus money: throwing money at people just to say you did something is not the solution, expecially if it increases the debt load. Taxes: If I earn more, I should pay more period; but penalizing me for being able to make money and save it is just theft by the government. Welfare reform: The only way to really reform welfare is to pay people TO WORK, not pay them LESS IF THEY WORK. I would rather pay a man a stipend if he were working than to pay him to sit at home or take his stipend away IF he tries to work. If you ask most Americans on welfare, they would rather work than draw welfare but the government penalizes their benefits if they do work so there is no incentive to work.

Getting people back to work is the real solution to our economic problems. One solution I would like to see is the SBA giving loans for new business startups for all the people who come up with a way to make their own business work. No matter how small the business. A one man shop is one less person out of work and one more paying taxes. Even if they fail, at least they tried. It is better than to never have tried at all. We gave loans to people that couldn't afford houses to begin with, so why can't we take a real chance and give people the chance to start their own business. If they succeed, there will be more taxes going into the government coffers.

In this election season, we need to look for the right person who will grow the economy and NOT further divide the country. I may disagree with you the way to accomplish that, but I will always try and be respectful of your opinion. TODAY I CHOOSE TO BE RESPECTFUL!