Okay so enough for introductions. Today I have some very mixed feelings over what has been happening in our country. I am grateful that Congress finally stopped behaving like children long enough to put an end to the shutdown, however the way that they did it also fills me with dread. Are we going to just go through this again in January? Are they going to put it off again? Is this going to become a quarterly issue?
I generally say I am a Republican, although the party lines tend to make me feel that I have a toe in each and I am being forced to stretch uncomfortably between them. I don't like the idea of Obamacare, but at the same time I don't believe that forcing a government shutdown is the way to stop it. I blame both sides and the president for the problems we have face in recent weeks.
One of our biggest issues as a country is that we are SO divided on issues. We get so caught up in getting something out of everything that we have forgotten the basic principle of compromise. You have to give to get. I am not an expert, by any means, on politics, economy, or government, but when I see what is happening in this country it makes me feel a little like I am in a car being driven towards the edge of a cliff. The lines between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of our government have seemed blurry lately. Is Obama REALLY supposed to be so involved in creating policy, because I could have sworn that job was supposed to belong to Congress. The purpose for having three distinct branches of government is to keep the balance; to prevent one from becoming more powerful than the others. What I saw over the last couple of weeks was a President who was negotiating legislation with congress. That just doesn't seem completely right to me.
The idea of affordable health care is a lovely fantasy. I know there are people who just don't have money for insurance. I have been in that category before. I was forced to rely on state insurance and food stamps. I filled out the paperwork and waited in painfully long lines for short interviews, but my husband and I together also made a plan to get us away from that life. I fear in this country that there are too many who believe that they are entitled to government care. They don't see welfare as a leg up. People have forgotten that there is joy to be found in working, and paying bills on time, and doing your best to be the best person you can be. I know that there are people who have to rely on government programs on a more permanent basis. My heart goes out to those people who wish for physical and financial independence and are unable for whatever reason to attain those goals. I also do not pretend to judge who is actually in that situation and who abuses the system. Those who abuse the system make it harder for everyone.
As far as Obamacare is concerned, this system does nothing to help the precarious financial situation in our country. The start up on something like this is an insane amount of money. Besides the money issues (which I feel they will surely try to solve by taking it from the pockets of American citizens) it has not been thoroughly hammered out and thought through. The Affordable care act seems to me to only be half of a plan. There are a lot of problems that could have been solved if it had just spent more time on a drawing board. My third issue with Obamacare is that people say "we voted for Obama therefore we voted for Obamacare". Personally, I didn't vote for Obama, neither did 47% of American voters. That is nearly sixty-one million people who did not vote for Obama, or his health care plan. Now all of these people are being forced to deal with the unwanted ACA and it's problems.
I hope that not every post on this new blog will be a political statement, but I am passionate in my love of country, and I feel fiercely protective of the values that it was founded on. I am an American. I am proud of it. I know that my power is limited as a stay-at-home mother, but someday I want my children to know that I care for this country and I care for it's well being. Someday I hope that they have that same love, and I hope that the United States will continue to be worthy of that love.
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