Little Red Fish

This blog is more to vent in response the yesterday's election and the general state of our country. I realize I haven't written anything in a really long time but today I feel the urge to just get all my feelings out and move on... so here we go. I will begin by addressing my personal beliefs. I identify more often than not with the Republican party beliefs. Just as any voter registered to a specific party, this does not mean I agree with or support every single thing that the candidate representing my party has to say. Every Republican is not the same: we do not hold identical views, we are individual people who have our own set of values and, contrary to my Dr. Feldman (my public policy professor at UCI), we do not lack moral responsibility... we simply have different morals than many liberal/Democrats may hold. I am so, so done with being told that I am a terrible person because of the mere fact that I identify as a Republican. The craziest thing is that the worst people with tolerance for the other party are often part of the LGBT community. They, of all people, should know what it is like to be attacked for what the believe in. I realize that I live in California and that, especially in a public university, I am the large minority in terms of my political views, but that does not mean that I should be disrespected for them. Tolerance people... practice it. So why did I vote for Romney? Let's clear that up so I can stop being told by other people why I did what I did. I voted for Romney because he had what I believed to be the best economic plan for this country, and because I oppose Obama care. Those are the 2 main reasons. Do I support gay marriage? No, I'm religious. But religion has no place in policy so would I vote for marriage equality? Maybe, though I did not support it in 2008, recent events in my family have made me consider this issue much further. Unfortunately the bible is not the constitution of this country and I agree with the argument it is unconstitutional to deny this right to the gay community. However, this did not factor into my vote for Romney. Do I support abortion? No, again, I am religious. But do I support a woman's right to choose? I am iffy on this one as well so another thing that did not factor. Do I think that everyone should be responsible for finding their own healthcare? No, but I do not like the way Obamacare addresses this issue. Do I think those in poverty are to blame for their own circumstances? Absolutely not. The job market is tough out there, and the set up of our society makes social mobility near impossible, so I very much understand that sometimes people need help. What I am very much opposed to are the people who do have the ability to work, but simply choose not to and sit and collect welfare checks for as long as they can. I am very adamant about welfare reform because it is very much abused, but this is often a state issue, so this did not factor into my vote for Romney. So there you have it. I voted Republican because I believe in the Republican economic system and am opposed to Obamacare. Plain and simple. If that makes me an awful person, so be it. I keep being told that although I disagree with the President Obama's views, I need to support him as my president. I disagree. I feel that I need to respect him as my president, which is possible without supporting him. Do I just want him to fail at everything he does? Of course not. I pray that he will deliver on his promise to make this country a better place. Am I slightly pessimistic? Of course I am. I have almost completely opposite views of what he believes and even if he "betters" this country according to his standards, we disagree on the role of the government. That, my friends, is what separates this country. In his speech, Obama said "We are not as divided as our politics suggest". Sadly, this is not true. Look at the reactions to the results of this election; read your facebook and see how divided people that would otherwise be friends are over these issues. Our country is quite frankly split in half. If politics do not really divide us, why is similarity in political views one of the number one predictors of a successful relationship? Why do the majority of people make friends with people who are like them? This country is divided almost entirely by politics, and being divided in this way will help no one accomplish anything; the next person will always be working on undoing what was accomplished by the last person. What does it all come down to? Differing opinions on the role of the government. I will stop there because I feel a lot better. I realize nothing will change, but I do wish tolerance would be practiced more in this country, in every regard, and that we could find a way to come together. Until then, I will continue to be a little red fish in the big, blue, California sea... until I have the means to move to a red state of course!