Country Savvy

As I read tweets from twitter, various blogs and news articles, it is obvious to me that the general public has reached a point in their political views that it is necessary to make some tough political decisions.  There are issues around our religious beliefs, financial needs, and views on liberty issues. We have Democrats and Republicans, Independents and other parties with members that cross lines in their views and what they will support. We have to consider all the issues to make a valid decision on who we consider our friend or enemy when we vote.

Let me start with a very controversial issue, religion.  Many of us have a belief that abortion is wrong, then there is the issue of prayer in schools and public places.  Also we have concerns on the moral right of gay marriage, placement of the Ten Commandments, and basic Christian rights.

All of us are concerned about our financial situation, both personal and with the government debt (which will impact us personally). The economy is a major factor in how we perceive the National Debt.  Unemployment and job security are driving factors in how we think.  Cost of food, gas, housing and other factors enter into our decision making on what standard of living we want.  Major industries such as oil production, the housing market, auto industry, farming enterprises, import, export industries all have a bearing on how well we as an individual and as a nation will fair.

Then we have issues around our liberty.  We are being challenged by control of our gun rights, freedom of speech, freedom to gather and in general all issues around our constitution and what we believe it to be.

While I have simply stated a few obvious issues, there are many more that affect each of us individually.  How we make decisions is based on the input from the media, Internet, churches and individuals.  We are obligated to make a decision based on what we perceive to be a true value input, what we believe will benefit us the most, and still provide a moral decision.  How you prioritize your individual issues is based on your evaluation of what is right in your mind.  For example, if your major issue is gun rights, then will it out weigh your belief in abortion or in your desire for lower taxes, or will you forego the gun rights to place anti-abortion or a tax issue as a higher priority on your value scale.  If you place all your issues on a list, prioritize them, then list all the issues that political parties profess to have, and then list the issues that each political figure professes to have, how will you decide which is most important and which will you consider a lesser evil if you give it away?  No two individuals are 100 percent instep with each other, and something will have to give.

Since there will be an election next year, now is the time we start formulating the information we need to make a decision on how we will vote.  Since most politicians will campaign on what they think the voters want to hear, it is up to us to look into their background and see what they really believe from past actions.  We, as voters, have done a poor job of electing our leaders to date. And I will qualify that by saying that whatever your belief and issues are, we have not voted for a person of character for many years, but have listened to the rhetoric spewed from the mouth of very charismatic individuals who have failed to honestly represent their voters.   I would beseech you to look past the campaign promises and look into your heart, into your mind that has the ability to distinguish the value of a person with character rather than one that can make empty promises. Dig deep and make your vote count for the most moral and personal issue that you have prioritized as an individual need. There is no excuse for letting someone else decide for you on the issues that are important to you and not making your own decisions.

But most importantly be sure to register to vote and the take the time to vote. America needs you.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 4:55 pm and is filed under Monte Edwards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.