October 14, 2008

• I haven’t said anything really about this, but I figure it is about time I made it known.  For quite awhile I have known who I was going to vote for in this election, but I haven’t said anything about it because I know it isn’t very popular in my circle.  I am planning on voting for Barack Obama for a number of reasons, but mostly because I agree with him on most of the issues.

  Economics:  I have always been more of a supply-side (Reagan) economist.  I have never really been that favorable of Obama’s economic plan, but with recent economic policies put out by the Republicans I haven’t really been that enamored by them, either.  Plus, the economy is clearly having problems, and I think there may be some credence to the Keynesian argument that the supply-side policies put forth by Bush and the former Republican Congress may be partially to blame.  I don’t know for sure; all I know is that I see many problems and I don’t know who to blame or who is right.  I can argue supply-side economics until I am blue in the face, but at the end of the day I really don’t know anymore if it truly works or not.  Do the benefits really trickle down from the rich to the poor?  I have trouble seeing it sometimes.  I still have to give the slight edge to McCain on this issue just because I have always been a supply-sider, but I am not as sure about it as I used to be.

  Iraq:  I was never fully
  convinced that Bush’s invasion of Iraq was anything more than an
  attempt to clean up the mess created by his father after the Persian
  Gulf War.  I thought the connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda was
  sketchy at best, and we have yet to find any WMDs.  At the time I
  argued for the war like a good little Christian Republican, being an
  adamant Bush apologist despite whatever evidence was presented to the
  contrary.  But from what I can see Iraq never attacked us, and so
  essentially we bombed and invaded a nation just because we thought they
  didn’t like us.  Polls I have seen from the Iraqi people show they do
  not approve of our occupation, and McCain says he has no problems with
  us being there for another hundred years.  Not only do I disagree with
  our presence there on moral reasons, but we have also wasted so much
  money and resources trying to force a western-style democracy on them,
  and I think a lot of the economic problems we are having stem from this
  Middle Eastern quagmire.  I have encountered some people who have said that the United States should “have the balls” to declare war more often, but in my mind it takes more balls NOT to declare war than to declare it.  I support our troops, and I tend to label
  myself as patriotic, but just because I do doesn’t mean I should
  support a war that I find morally wrong.  Now I don’t think it is
  reasonable or feasible for us to leave tomorrow, but as soon as we can
  find a good time to leave we should do just that.  Obama is right.
  
  Abortion:  A very tough issue, but one that I have thought about quite a bit.  I have become very pro-choice in the last few years.  It started out as reserving abortion for cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother was in jeopardy.  But anymore, I have to say there is really no way I can possibly foresee every possible circumstance where abortion might be a consideration.  For one, I am a man and will never be pregnant, so I don’t see how I have the right to argue for or against a choice that I will never have to make.  For two, I hear a lot of people on the pro-life side that say abortion is murder, but a lot of these same people have no problems with invading another country (who had not attacked us) and killing innocent people along the way.  Isn’t that not also murder?  I have encountered several people in the last few years (since my eyes were opened) who have had to make that difficult decision.  Their stories have brought me to tears, and I don’t see how I can have the audacity to even think about telling them what to do.

  Gay Marriage:  I no longer read, believe, or adhere to the Bible, and so therefore I see no reason why homosexuals should not be allowed to marry if they so choose.  Yes, I am straight, but that makes just about as much difference as the color of my skin or the color of my hair.  They are not hurting me, so why is it my business to interfere with what they want to do?  Most of the homosexuals I have met are actually very nice (and fun) people, and now that I no longer have a bigoted view of them I see them as people perhaps a bit different from me, but people all the same.  I don’t know if homosexuality is genetic or not, but it doesn’t matter.  If they have no choice, then by no means should we stop them from being who they are.  If it is purely a choice, who am I to keep them from doing what they want to do if it doesn’t affect me at all?  They should not be denied any of the freedoms you and I have just because of what they do in bed.

  Separation of Church and State:  Definitely my biggest issue.  The Religious Right has way too much power in this country, and I am tired of it.  Not only that, but Christianity in general is so pervasive in everything.  I thought I was persecuted and felt uncomfortable for who I was while I was a Christian, but it has been ten times as bad since I have left Christianity.  Yes, I do live pretty close to the Bible Belt (if not in it), but even when I watch events taking place in other (more liberal) areas of the country I still see Christian influence.  From everything I have heard from McCain and Palin, a lot of their policies are based on this Christian morality that I no longer agree with.  If they get in, I do not feel comfortable that my views as an agnostic will be respected; I just feel my views will be “put up with” as one puts up with a headache, or that religious philosophies will be pushed forward regardless of my opinions and rights.  Judges will be put in office who will further the religious agenda and may even reverse decisions that will take rights and freedoms away from the non-religious.  Obama made a great speech back when he was running for the Senate about respecting everyone’s religious views, letting them be as religious or non-religious as they so choose without any pressure from the government either way.  I feel much safer with Obama on this, my biggest issue.

  
  So now it is out there.  Of my five top issues I align myself with Obama on four of them, and the fifth (economics) I only gave a slight edge to McCain.  My choice is clear.  On November 4 I will cast my vote for Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.

  I will still put poll results and maps on this blog, and I will still be as fair and impartial as I can be.  But I just wanted to make my loyalties clear.

  • 2:24 pm
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