I am a Republican- with libertarian leanings.
This is what I am not:
I am not a bigot. I was raised by a Republican mother who came to the south from Illinois. She would never have tolerated the use of any slang that is what is now called racist. Our maids, and yes we had a maid because that is how black women supported themselves, were treated with respect and were fed and paid appropriately. They were never put on a bus, but were driven to and from their home by my mother or father. My father employed only black men in his business and paid one of them to be manager. Way back in the 50s. In New Orleans. I didn't go to school with black kids until high school and then it was a novelty-but I didn't make those rules.
I am not a religious zealot. Honestly, I sometimes wish I were. I am not even that religious. I believe in God because it gives me comfort, but I don't believe He is involved in my every day life. I don't believe He would care whether or not I win the lottery or that He would cure me of cancer- I am just a human on this planet for whatever reason or no reason at all. But I believe in God because it gives me a sense of purpose and hope. That's enough for me. But deeply religious people have a sense of peace that I can't obtain with my simplistic beliefs.
I am not an elitist. I have money but I didn't always. I worked two jobs to get through college. I paid for my own education and that meant I couldn't be too sensitive about fashion demands. I had 4 dresses and 2 pairs of shoes for all of college, so I majored in nursing and got a uniform to wear on some days. I recycle, eat leftovers, and I don't buy what I really don't need. I have money- but it is because I don't SPEND it! Novel concept, I know. I don't buy what I cannot afford. And I never, ever bought my kids something if I couldn't afford it. NEVER. I can't help if someone thinks I am an elitist because I have a graduate degree, once was an assistant professor in a university and like to read!
I am not disrespectful of human life in any form. I believe that if you took an embryo at ANY age, then sent it in for DNA testing, you would find it has a unique and HUMAN DNA. That makes it human. I believe that from the moment of conception, the new and unique cells are rapidly dividing- dead cells do NOT divide. So what have you got? You have a living human being- its "being" may not be so well established yet, but it is alive If you abort it, you kill it. It is that simple. I wouldn't ban abortion because I guess that killing your child before it is born is better than abusing or killing it later. Just as long as you don't kid yourself on what you have done. Especially now, adoption is an option. I was adopted. Thanks,Sarah, for not aborting me.
I am not an environmental zealot though I believe in clean air and clean water and recycling plastics to save the oceans. I believe the earth is a work in progress, and eventually it will go through a huge upheaval and kill all life forms. I believe that thermal vents in the ocean floor do spew out things that are toxic to our life forms. I believe we are just a few huge eruptions away from have a global winter. I believe we are on the thin crust of a molten planet, and that we puny humans cannot destroy this earth. We can destroy us, but not this planet. We are the ones with hubris. I don't believe that global warming is anything other than the natural progression of our planet, and that we could quit all carbon emissions and still be forced to live through the changes that occur. It might just be our bad luck to be alive during a time of change. One scientific group says one thing, yet another comes out later to refute it. Most recently the Iceland ice shelf melting debacle, So I figure all I can do it keep my personal environment clean and if everyone did the same, we'd all be okay.
I am not a celebrity worshipper. I don't care if Paris Hilton works in a soup kitchen once a year. I don't care if Matt Damon says I should pay more taxes. I don't care if Oprah mows down trees to get a better view. I don't care. I am not part of the cult of celebrity in the US- I find it ironic that in a world of true heroes and brilliant scientists and amazing technology, that we, as a society, put credence in the words of people, many of whom have never completed high school, who read other people's words for a living and are hypocrites. Amazing.
I am not a mean and stingy human who wants everyone to starve. Not at all- I donate to food banks all the time. I donate and volunteer at a collection center for children for the eastside of Seattle. I have donated to AIDS organizations and taken care of and visited my friends who lived and died with AIDS. I have personally given money to people just to keep them afloat- not a loan but a GIFT to help them get their acts together. And by the way, every person I have ever given money to has gone on to restart their lives. I have underwritten children whose parents couldn't afford their music participation. I have funded a nursing scholarship. And this post would be the first time most of my friends would learn this. I love how generous Republicans are in general. My most conservative friends are very active in their church relief programs. I love them for that.
I am not a hypocrite. I don't believe in illegal immigration, and I won't hire an illegal or use a company that does. It's pretty easy to tell. I don't believe that we should keep viewing the world as backwards and third world. It isn't 1900- it is 2011. Governments make choices now- we don't have to save their citizenry. Our revolutionary war was bloody and painful- and so will all revolutions be. By the way, thank you France! It is time to stop most foreign aid and put it into the infrastructure of the US and into saving the people of Appalachia and inner cities. I think if you are an environmental zealot but you smoke and have a dirty bathroom, that you are a hypocrite. I could go on, but I walk my walk.
I am not a corporation hater. Everything in my world that has made my life easier comes from a corporation, including my husband's job. Thanks corporations- you go ahead and make profits and I'll make some money back by buying stock. People say they can't invest but they buy alcohol, cigarettes, iphones, etc. All sorts of stuff they don't need. But they won't invest in their own future. Idiots.
I am not a believer in the sanctity of the "native American". We've done a lot to hurt the 'Indians". They did a lot to hurt us- it was really a war. But we won. Yep. America always gives back when they win, but giving back land to the Indians hurt them and has held them back by not allowing assimilation. Indians are not native to America- they came here from somewhere else also. Get over it. If it hadn't been white Europeans who came here, it would have been Russians or Chinese. No way would this land have have gone unconquered. Sorry if you don't like that. But the stupidity of judging our ancestors for what was normal behavior in the world at that time is ridiculous.
I am not a person who believes we are all equal. I raised kids- genetically alike but nowhere near the same. I can't play for the NBA but I have a gift for sight reading music. I couldn't ever get a PhD in physics but I can cook some wonderful food. I don't believe schools should cater to the least common denominator. I don't believe schools should mainstream children who cannot learn and waste valuable education dollars on them. I think parents should have to pay for their handicapped child's extra care. I don't believe that children who need special tutors for all their needs should be in a regular school slowing down the classroom for the kids who need every ounce of education they can get so they can grow up and pay taxes for the children who will never be able to support themselves. I believe we should recognize and give extra attention to the most succesful children- not the least. It is a bad system when we ignore what is going to make the system better. I'd love to know why NO ONE in my classes in school needed special treatment- but now everyone seems to have a kid with some diagnosis. I think people want to believe there is a reason why their kid isn't the smartest in the class. I once was a substitute school nurse at a small private school- at lunchtime I had a long line out the door for kids to come get their MEDS! All these children were medicated. Many because their parents wanted them to be treated with special care. Well, some kids are noisy, some are fidgety, some are imaginative- they are just kids. School is where most kids learn to sit down and shut up and it takes years to learn that. We are NOT all the same. But it doesn't mean you medicate until you have the results you demand.
I am not a person who believes that poor people can be saved from themselves. There is reason why people are poor, but generations of poverty can cripple the ambitions of children. But America's history has proven that families don't have to stay poor. Many poor families have seen a child go on to great success. Of course, I don't believe in allowing people to starve, but we've gotten to a place where a family of 4 with an income of over $40K a year can get social welfare services. No wonder states are broke. Poverty is a complex problem but until you can make everyone the same IQ and talent, there will be poor.
I could go on, but that's enough for now! I am a Republican, a libertarian and I vote my beliefs.
This is what I am not:
I am not a bigot. I was raised by a Republican mother who came to the south from Illinois. She would never have tolerated the use of any slang that is what is now called racist. Our maids, and yes we had a maid because that is how black women supported themselves, were treated with respect and were fed and paid appropriately. They were never put on a bus, but were driven to and from their home by my mother or father. My father employed only black men in his business and paid one of them to be manager. Way back in the 50s. In New Orleans. I didn't go to school with black kids until high school and then it was a novelty-but I didn't make those rules.
I am not a religious zealot. Honestly, I sometimes wish I were. I am not even that religious. I believe in God because it gives me comfort, but I don't believe He is involved in my every day life. I don't believe He would care whether or not I win the lottery or that He would cure me of cancer- I am just a human on this planet for whatever reason or no reason at all. But I believe in God because it gives me a sense of purpose and hope. That's enough for me. But deeply religious people have a sense of peace that I can't obtain with my simplistic beliefs.
I am not an elitist. I have money but I didn't always. I worked two jobs to get through college. I paid for my own education and that meant I couldn't be too sensitive about fashion demands. I had 4 dresses and 2 pairs of shoes for all of college, so I majored in nursing and got a uniform to wear on some days. I recycle, eat leftovers, and I don't buy what I really don't need. I have money- but it is because I don't SPEND it! Novel concept, I know. I don't buy what I cannot afford. And I never, ever bought my kids something if I couldn't afford it. NEVER. I can't help if someone thinks I am an elitist because I have a graduate degree, once was an assistant professor in a university and like to read!
I am not disrespectful of human life in any form. I believe that if you took an embryo at ANY age, then sent it in for DNA testing, you would find it has a unique and HUMAN DNA. That makes it human. I believe that from the moment of conception, the new and unique cells are rapidly dividing- dead cells do NOT divide. So what have you got? You have a living human being- its "being" may not be so well established yet, but it is alive If you abort it, you kill it. It is that simple. I wouldn't ban abortion because I guess that killing your child before it is born is better than abusing or killing it later. Just as long as you don't kid yourself on what you have done. Especially now, adoption is an option. I was adopted. Thanks,Sarah, for not aborting me.
I am not an environmental zealot though I believe in clean air and clean water and recycling plastics to save the oceans. I believe the earth is a work in progress, and eventually it will go through a huge upheaval and kill all life forms. I believe that thermal vents in the ocean floor do spew out things that are toxic to our life forms. I believe we are just a few huge eruptions away from have a global winter. I believe we are on the thin crust of a molten planet, and that we puny humans cannot destroy this earth. We can destroy us, but not this planet. We are the ones with hubris. I don't believe that global warming is anything other than the natural progression of our planet, and that we could quit all carbon emissions and still be forced to live through the changes that occur. It might just be our bad luck to be alive during a time of change. One scientific group says one thing, yet another comes out later to refute it. Most recently the Iceland ice shelf melting debacle, So I figure all I can do it keep my personal environment clean and if everyone did the same, we'd all be okay.
I am not a celebrity worshipper. I don't care if Paris Hilton works in a soup kitchen once a year. I don't care if Matt Damon says I should pay more taxes. I don't care if Oprah mows down trees to get a better view. I don't care. I am not part of the cult of celebrity in the US- I find it ironic that in a world of true heroes and brilliant scientists and amazing technology, that we, as a society, put credence in the words of people, many of whom have never completed high school, who read other people's words for a living and are hypocrites. Amazing.
I am not a mean and stingy human who wants everyone to starve. Not at all- I donate to food banks all the time. I donate and volunteer at a collection center for children for the eastside of Seattle. I have donated to AIDS organizations and taken care of and visited my friends who lived and died with AIDS. I have personally given money to people just to keep them afloat- not a loan but a GIFT to help them get their acts together. And by the way, every person I have ever given money to has gone on to restart their lives. I have underwritten children whose parents couldn't afford their music participation. I have funded a nursing scholarship. And this post would be the first time most of my friends would learn this. I love how generous Republicans are in general. My most conservative friends are very active in their church relief programs. I love them for that.
I am not a hypocrite. I don't believe in illegal immigration, and I won't hire an illegal or use a company that does. It's pretty easy to tell. I don't believe that we should keep viewing the world as backwards and third world. It isn't 1900- it is 2011. Governments make choices now- we don't have to save their citizenry. Our revolutionary war was bloody and painful- and so will all revolutions be. By the way, thank you France! It is time to stop most foreign aid and put it into the infrastructure of the US and into saving the people of Appalachia and inner cities. I think if you are an environmental zealot but you smoke and have a dirty bathroom, that you are a hypocrite. I could go on, but I walk my walk.
I am not a corporation hater. Everything in my world that has made my life easier comes from a corporation, including my husband's job. Thanks corporations- you go ahead and make profits and I'll make some money back by buying stock. People say they can't invest but they buy alcohol, cigarettes, iphones, etc. All sorts of stuff they don't need. But they won't invest in their own future. Idiots.
I am not a believer in the sanctity of the "native American". We've done a lot to hurt the 'Indians". They did a lot to hurt us- it was really a war. But we won. Yep. America always gives back when they win, but giving back land to the Indians hurt them and has held them back by not allowing assimilation. Indians are not native to America- they came here from somewhere else also. Get over it. If it hadn't been white Europeans who came here, it would have been Russians or Chinese. No way would this land have have gone unconquered. Sorry if you don't like that. But the stupidity of judging our ancestors for what was normal behavior in the world at that time is ridiculous.
I am not a person who believes we are all equal. I raised kids- genetically alike but nowhere near the same. I can't play for the NBA but I have a gift for sight reading music. I couldn't ever get a PhD in physics but I can cook some wonderful food. I don't believe schools should cater to the least common denominator. I don't believe schools should mainstream children who cannot learn and waste valuable education dollars on them. I think parents should have to pay for their handicapped child's extra care. I don't believe that children who need special tutors for all their needs should be in a regular school slowing down the classroom for the kids who need every ounce of education they can get so they can grow up and pay taxes for the children who will never be able to support themselves. I believe we should recognize and give extra attention to the most succesful children- not the least. It is a bad system when we ignore what is going to make the system better. I'd love to know why NO ONE in my classes in school needed special treatment- but now everyone seems to have a kid with some diagnosis. I think people want to believe there is a reason why their kid isn't the smartest in the class. I once was a substitute school nurse at a small private school- at lunchtime I had a long line out the door for kids to come get their MEDS! All these children were medicated. Many because their parents wanted them to be treated with special care. Well, some kids are noisy, some are fidgety, some are imaginative- they are just kids. School is where most kids learn to sit down and shut up and it takes years to learn that. We are NOT all the same. But it doesn't mean you medicate until you have the results you demand.
I am not a person who believes that poor people can be saved from themselves. There is reason why people are poor, but generations of poverty can cripple the ambitions of children. But America's history has proven that families don't have to stay poor. Many poor families have seen a child go on to great success. Of course, I don't believe in allowing people to starve, but we've gotten to a place where a family of 4 with an income of over $40K a year can get social welfare services. No wonder states are broke. Poverty is a complex problem but until you can make everyone the same IQ and talent, there will be poor.
I could go on, but that's enough for now! I am a Republican, a libertarian and I vote my beliefs.
