Warning: Political Opinion

This is my attempt to contribute to the political discussion.  I will try not to do it again. Feel free to disagree with any part of what I say.  If you disagree with everything I say, then I will know you either didn't read it all or didn't "get"  it- and therein lies our problem...

Today is Election Day.  It's time to get out and vote for your favorite thieving, socialist, racist baby-eater.  Or at least (according to ads) that is all we have to choose from here in Florida.   But such is the state of our political system- the one who says the most awful things about their opponent has the best chance of winning.

Which brings me to this- it's been two years since Barack Obama was elected as our President.  It is currently very popular to scorn him and everything he does.  I would like to take a moment today and express my belief that many of us need to stand back and take a better look at the past two years, with an eye towards the next two.  President Obama has been heavily criticized on a number of fronts, and I certainly have had my share of disagreements with some of his policies. However, let's look at some facts.  While some of his social programs have not gone far enough for me, at least he is pushing Congress to take care of the "least of these."  His answer to the question "Am I my brother's keeper?" is yes- and I love that about him.  For many of those efforts he has been called a "socialist."  He is actually not proposing anything new.  Our taxes have always, in unequal shares, gone to support schools, police departments, fire departments and more.   He wants to ask more (taxes) of those who have and less of those who don't- and that makes the "haves" extremely uncomfortable.  I guess if I made over $250,000 a year I might feel that way too.  I didn't make that much (total) in 28 years of student ministry...

"Obamacare" (which has not yet had a chance to work or fail) has taken a beating on many fronts for many reasons, but I find it interesting that a health care bill has been championed by every President since Dwight Eisenhower.  Obama just got it done.  And, strangely enough, it is very similar to a bill once put forth by the patron saint of conservatives, Ronald Reagan.  He simply cannot win with some people, no matter the facts.

Speaking of facts, many candidates will lose today for being associated with the Obama administration as they have presided over the "current economic decline."  This is simply not true.  This administration and congress have had two years to attempt to overcome 8 years of "strategery" and more deficit spending than that of all the other administrations since Jimmy Carter- combined.  Think you know what is going on with the economy?  Read this (thanks to Jim Hancock for sharing this first):  …by a two-to-one margin, likely voters in the Nov. 2 midterm elections think taxes have gone up, the economy has shrunk, and the billions lent to banks as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program won’t be recovered.   — Bloomberg Businessweek, 29 October, 2010   In fact, none of that is true.  Bloomberg Businessweek sets the record straight:

• Fact: The Obama administration has cut taxes — largely for the middle class — by $240 billion since taking office on Jan. 20, 2009.
• Fact: The U.S. economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the third quarter as consumer spending climbed the most in almost four years.
• Fact: In the past year, the economy has grown 3.1 percent.
• Fact: The U.S. Treasury has recovered most of the $245 billion spent on the Wall Street bank part of the rescue, and expects to turn a $16 billion profit.

Taxes for most USAmericans have gone down not up,  and the economy is growing not shrinking.  But for whatever reasons, people do not believe this.  I understand the job market is awful- I have been unemployed for over three years.  But the past two years have been spent trying to tear down rather than attempting to move forward together.  Progress has been made, but we were promised change- and a lot people don't see it happening.  The rest of the people are scared to death that change will happen.  President Obama gets hit from the left and the right, and accomplishments go unnoticed.

Many of the candidates you will vote for today are good people, but the process and the money changes people.  I really like Senator John McCain.  In 2000 I hoped he would be the Republican nominee for President.  But once he became the nominee in 2008 he had to say things and do things he didn't really believe in to keep his party bosses happy and the money flowing.  I wound up having no use for candidate John McCain.  It happens to so many.  The process is so very flawed.  So here's my thing: I am not trying to convince you to re-elect Obama in 2012.  I am not pushing one party over another.  I am simply asking you to think.  If I was in charge, anyone who votes a straight party ticket on either side would lose the right to vote in the next election, because neither party owns "the solution."  Of my 3 all-time favorite politicians, one was a Democrat and 2 were Republicans.  My 3 least favorite are all Republicans.  No political party (and God knows no TV network covering them) can lay claim to having "the truth."  Only Jesus can make that claim, and (listen well my dear readers) Jesus is neither a Republican or a Democrat!  We need to elect candidates who are open-minded and willing to compromise for the good of "we the people" while still standing for the things they believe in that matter.  We need to elect women and men who understand the difference between public service and personal power.  And perhaps most importantly we need to elect folks who understand these words from Tony Campolo: "We have met the enemy- and he is partly right..."   We all have much to learn from one another.

I hope that wasn't too painful.  Tomorrow we return to Hinsdale for the beginning of Work Tour 2000 and some "uh-oh" moments.  I hope you will join me!

Because of Jesus,