When I started this blog, I had two purposes: to express myself regarding reading and writing, and vent frustration about politics. The second purpose has been most obvious for a long time, probably because I have the strongest feelings on that subject. I'd like to explain where I'm at politically and personally so that some of my friends can feel more comfortable with some of my positions on issues.
M. says I'm way out in left field politically, but I don't think so. I think I'm center-left (leaning liberal), whereas most of my friends are center-right (leaning conservative). On the burning issues of today -- health insurance reform, climate change, the economy and jobs, "big government" vs. "small government" -- I am decidedly liberal. On social issues, I'm more in the middle. The reasons for that left-leaning politics go back to my time in high school as a debate student, where I learned to test arguments and be engaged in the political process. Most of my friends at that time were conservative (Reagan Republicans), but I thought of myself as liberal even then. My grandmother was probably the biggest influence on my politics early on (she was a New Deal/FDR Democrat), but I think I mostly arrived at left-leaning stances on my own. High school was also a time when I tested my faith for the first time, having had a conversion experience in junior high at a church camp. I developed a pretty strong faith personally, but I was cautious about sharing my views. When a Supreme Court decision allowing voluntary Christian groups in school was handed down while I was in high school, I helped found one such group on Bonanza High School's campus. I was cautious in promoting the club, though.
I am a committed Christian, so most of my friends are not as understanding of liberal positions on abortion and gay rights as I am. I also decided after voting for George W. Bush in 2004 that I did not want to be a single-issue voter any more (the deciding issue for me in 2004 was abortion), so I gave President Obama a chance to win me over in 2008, despite my opinions on social issues. Abortion and gay rights are difficult issues for me personally -- I'm firmly in the middle on both issues. I've explained some thoughts on abortion previously, but for gay rights, let's just say that I think gay people should be allowed to marry, as long as Christian and other churches aren't forced to acknowledge such marriages as sacred. On many social issues, I feel tugged to the right by my allegiance to some Biblical principles, and to the left in my concern for equal treatment under the law, which I think is Biblical, too. I also believe in freedom of religion.
My personal reasons for caring about politics are that it helps me focus on something besides myself. I like feeling like I am contributing in some way to an intelligent discussion of policy issues, beyond the political soundbytes and posturing that dominate the news. I believe that if reasonable people weigh the facts of the issues, they can agree to disagree, or they can be converted from one side to another. To me, that's what democracy is all about. It grieves me to see the division and ignorance that dominates our politics, and I hope that more reasoned arguments will prevail in the near future.
So, my political experience as a citizen and committed Christian has led me to some pretty liberal positions. I hope my loyal reader(s) will forgive a little self-indulgence today, and feel free to comment if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment