Am I too trusting and naive?

Maybe.

I prefer to look at it as I see the best in people and give the benefit of the doubt. That I'm not harsh, judgmental, cynical or unforgiving.

Sometimes someone I shouldn't have given the benefit of the doubt to shows me their true colors and I get hurt. But I also learn something. A couple of years ago someone I thought was a good friend to me showed me some things about herself that I decided I couldn't reconcile in order to remain friends with her. I realized I couldn't trust her and I need to have friends I trust.

With everything I deal with in my life, I just don't have the energy to pretend to be OK with someone I don't trust. Or who I think are just mean. But in general, I am a very trusting person.

The reason I'm thinking about this right now is largely due to the presidential election earlier this week. It was a hard-fought battle and people have expressed very passionate opinions on both sides. I expressed my own firmly held beliefs right here.

But I have been arguing my beliefs with members of my own family, including my husband who loves to play devil's advocate. Not that he totally disagrees with me, but Mark has pointed out this "issue" of maybe being too trusting and naive about some things.

Late on the night of the election I wondered if now that Obama has been RE-elected, if people could embrace and respect him. I asked this question on both Twitter and Facebook.

My thinking is that if the majority of voters want Obama as President AGAIN, maybe there is something to that, and maybe he is actually a GOOD President.

That's not totally unreasonable, is it?

The first opposing response I got was:

I don't believe in big government. I don't want the government telling me what to do and how to spend my money. I do not believe in re-distribution. If it's yours, you should be able to do what you like with it. Socialized medicine is not a good thing. Talk to someone that has been forced to live with it. The older and sicker you are, the less likely you are to get the best care possible. We already have a program for people who can't afford insurance, it's called Medicaid. The Bin Laden thing was a work in progress long before he came to office, I know this from someone who actually worked on it. I own a small business. If my business makes $250,000 or more a year, even if I don't take a salary or see any of that money, I am considered rich and will be taxed as if I were.

To which I replied, "So it's just all about money then. There's more to life than that." All I got back was, "Whatever!!"

The other comment was:

I respect the office but absolutely not this President. He has an ideology that is contrary and dangerous to this country and our constitution. He routinely proves himself to be a pathological lier. For what he did, or I should say, did not do, in Benghazi, Libya I hope he is impeached and prosecuted. I spent 4 years in the military and 30 years in law enforcement fighting for right against wrong and your right to free speech; please don't ever give that up; because this president is coming after it. You just don't know it yet.

I have made no response to this. I can't find the words.

Both the person quoted above and I question each other's sources of information. He highly reveres and respects Glenn Beck. I have actively avoided him. I feel that he is an extremist and an alarmist. This person thinks he only seeks the truth.

Truth is different for everyone.

I don't understand how they can feel the way they do, and I know they don't understand why I feel what I do. It's all very hard to reconcile.

I really don't think I am someone who shelters herself from information she might not want to hear. I don't watch the news as much as I used to, but only because I don't feel the need to hear about every single rape, murder or fatal car accident. It hurts my mommy heart too much. But I am online enough to hear about many other things.

As of now, President Obama has given me no reason not to trust him. I've seen only a caring, thoughtful, decisive and steadfast man. I've gotten no oogy vibes when listening to him speak. There has been nothing scandalous that I can point to and say, "Ooh, he's a bad man!"

Besides, we will do all of this again in just 4 more years, with brand new candidates. HERE's some excellent perspective if you need it.

Maybe I am naive and too trusting. But I think I'd rather be that than un-trusting, negative and angry all the time.

My Politics...for what it's worth

*This is kind of a BIG post. So....you've been warned.


Unless you've been hiding under a rock, and maybe you are, this is a presidential election year.

Sigh.

I've been saying it for months now, I really just want to skip this one. Since we can't, I have been trying to pay attention to the campaigns, the debates, jokes....

I took a presidential election quiz several weeks ago that showed I side with President Barack Obama.

My results went on to show who I side with by party

• 88% Democratic
• 74% Green
• 44% Libertarian
• 43% Republican

Does knowing this make you feel any differently about me? I find that sometimes learning someone's political persuasions can be hard to reconcile with how we feel about the rest of who they are. Especially if you're in another camp.

For years I thought I was very middle-of-the-road, sitting on the fence between Democrat and Republican. I would describe myself as a "liberal Republican" or a "conservative Democrat". But apparently I am now actually quite far removed from being a Republican at all, and that I could be Green or Libertarian. Oh, but those parties don't count, do they?

Since this election season began, and helped by taking this quiz, I now see how I'm not really on the fence at all. In fact, I'm having a hard time understanding how anyone would be proud to call themselves a Republican right about now. Mitt Romney just keeps sticking his foot fully into his mouth and then looks around like, "What??".

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The 47%

The other thing I'm having a hard time with is how anyone who knows my family and everything we've been through can be a supporter of Mitt Romney.

You see, my family is part of this 47% he spoke of. Both Mark and I have legal disabilities. Mark is chronically ill. But let me clarify something. We are very GRATEFUL that our government has programs in place that have been helpful to us over the years, and we've both paid taxes. It's not about "entitlement".

Then again, I do believe I'm "entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing!"

I believe EVERYONE is entitled to those things. They are BASIC necessities you asshat. And yeah, I think if someone is in need of help, someone should help them.

Look, I know there are "welfare moms" and junkies who abuse the system. But they can't be allowed to ruin it for those who are just trying to get by. Honest, decent people who have simply been dealt a crappy hand. There are ways to weed out those who are less deserving.

Abortion

I don't know if I should even get started on women's rights, but being that I am a woman..... The abortion issue is so beyond frustrating, I'm not sure I can adequately express how I feel about it. I  never thought I would terminate a pregnancy....until I was 16 and pregnant. I didn't want to and it was really hard. But it was the CHOICE I made. And honestly -- hold onto your hats -- at this stage in my life, and considering my family circumstances, I'd probably do it again. I still wouldn't want to and it would still be hard, but I should be allowed to make that choice if I believe it's what's best.

There are so many reasons and varying situations that CHOICES simply MUST be available. I will never understand how someone can think they have the right to take someone else's rights away.

At the debate on Tuesday, when asked what he would do to help ensure equal pay for women, Mitt Romney only talked about making sure women have flexible schedules so we have time to cook dinner for our kids. He would cut funding to Planned Parenthood and I'm 100% sure he would do everything he can to limit access to birth control and abortions. And the correlation he made to single mothers and gun violence? Don't even get me started.

None of this is about religion. People like to use religion as an excuse for their nonsense. Religion is PERSONAL, and so too is a woman's reproductive choices. I believe in God, but I don't believe I have the right to tell others what to believe or to condemn them for anything. Isn't managing your own life enough?

The Economy

I learned in high school civics that our government has a system of checks and balances. That the President is the leader of our country, but we also have Congress and the Supreme Court who get their say. Both the President and Congress have the power to stop legislation in its tracks. And even when something is passed into law, the matter can be taken before the Supreme Court where nine highly qualified judges can be the deciding factor.

In this sort of government, how can any one person be wholly to blame for something? And in turn, how can any one person be expected to fix a problem all by themselves?

I didn't watch any of the post-debate spin and commentary on Tuesday, so I wasn't sure if anyone else was as shocked as I was when Romney exclaimed not once, but twice, "Government does not create jobs!" Um. What? Then why do you blame Obama for the current unemployment rate and how can you promise to create more jobs if you become President? I'm so confused. Sometimes I wonder if that man has Terrets.

By the way, it was Obama's tax incentives of 2009-10 that made it possible for Mark and I to become homeowners.

Education

More needs to be invested into our children. Period. My daughter doesn't have any textbooks for crying out loud! Not paper, PDF or eBook. Nada. Her math teacher has a text book which he uses to verbally give the kids the information they need and they take notes. There are history textbooks but not enough for each student. I don't know how teachers are teaching.

Improving education in America has been pushed down to the bottom of the political to-do list since 9/11. I completely understand that we had some shit to take care of after that. But it's time to move on and re-prioritize some things in this country. Politicians go an and on about how important education is for the future of our children. Obama has made some changes in regards to student loans and grants for college. But more needs to be done for K-12 too.

I was pleased to hear Obama talk about education as it relates to PREVENTING crime and violence. I like that he doesn't want to throw more gun control laws on the books, but rather look at how we can ensure less desperation which leads to crime.

Health Care

If you know me and my life at all, you know health care is a HUGE part of our lives. Having a pre-existing condition means my husband has to apply for and get denied good health insurance, and then apply for the only insurance that will cover him, which costs nearly $300 a month. That combined with Medicare parts A, B and D, and he STILL has some out-of-pocket medical expenses. All of that is JUST for Mark. The kids and I have to fend for ourselves. This is one of the reasons it's so difficult for people with disabilities and/or health problems to get ahead in life. It's a vicious cycle.

My brain is ill-equipped to dissect the legal jargon of "Obamacare", so I can't say with any authority if the changes being implemented will benefit my family. But I applaud the President for trying and CARING. He pushed and pushed for some kind of change. He didn't back down. I appreciate that.

(Actually, I think it already has benefited us. We all got FREE flu shots this year. Did you get yours?)

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These are the things I PERSONALLY feel strongly about. So these are the things I have to base my voting on. The things I care about fly in the face of the Republican platform. Not only that, but I just don't feel like Mitt Romney cares about me and my family.

Heck, I also think there should be marriage equality and will be voting YES on Washington's Referendum 74. Oh oops, did I just say that out loud? My bad.


Image credits: I got all of the above images from fan pages on Facebook such as Being Liberal, MoveOn.org, The Christian Left, One Million Vaginas, Miss R-EVOLutionaries and Upworthy.

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I did not write this to piss anyone off or to try to change votes. I wrote it for the same reason I write everything I do, because it's my PERSPECTIVE, and people can learn from others' perspectives. So, if you want to leave a comment on this post, I expect you to be respectful. If you can't do that, I will delete it. Because saying something rude on my blog is, to me, the equivalent of saying it right to my face.

Politics Aside....

The following is from President Obama's live address to the nation after Osama bin Laden was killed:

Today, amidst the rancor of our current political climate, I wanted to stop to remember 9/11. We call it Patriot Day now. Somehow that seems too nice of a name for such a terrible day, although I get the sentiment.

Thinking about the loss of that day still feels like a sucker punch to the gut. I hope that feeling never dulls. I do not want to be desensitized.

Because this....

photo source

Will never be OK.

Believe me, I have my pretty strong political opinions, and I'm having a hard time not getting caught up in the Presidential campaign. I may write more about that on a later date. But I feel fairly confident that loved ones and survivors of 9/11 don't give a damn about politics today.

So I'm here to say, to reiterate, that I'll....Never Forget.