What are my politics?

Fairly conservative, I guess, but I really don't like labels. I'm pretty liberal on some things but consider myself a true Independent when it comes to voting. A lot of Washington voters will flat out state that they're "registered Independents". Problem is, in Washington you don't register to be anything when it comes to a party. Since in this blog we're looking for common sense, here's a question for you:


What are you, and why...............?

Most people consider themselves "something" when it comes to religion and politics. You probably call yourself a Republican or Democrat but think of yourself as being "independent". Why? It's been reported that 85% of Americans believe in God so it stands to reason that most of those people think of themselves as being Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim. Why?
I'm not trying to pick a fight here because whatever you want to call yourself or believe yourself to be is completely fine with me. It's just that many years ago, I asked myself these questions and didn't have any good answers. I thought of myself as a Protestant since I was trundled off to Sunday School at the local Presbyterian Church when I was in elementary school but neither of my parents were outwardly religious so I always looked for ways to avoid being sent to Sunday School.

Other kids whose parents were more involved with religion seemed to become more involved themselves and for some reason, they attended the same church their parents had attended. Hardly ever did a Catholic become Protestant or vice versa. On the rare occasions I saw that happen, it was usually because one spouse-to be wanted to accommodate the stronger beliefs of the other spouse-to-be.

And if you are a Protestant, for instance, why are you a Methodist instead of a Lutheran? There are many denominations to choose from and although there are big disagreements over which one is doing communion correctly (or if it should be done at all), and should the Lord's Prayer say to forgive "trespassers" instead of "debtors". Who's right? Where are the stone tablets telling everyone how God wants it done? Is it okay for an offspring to decide to follow a different religion or denomination than the parents?

Same line of questioning holds true regarding politics. I'd bet big money that whatever you call yourself, you do so because the most influential member of your family called him/herself the same thing. Actually, this is probably a good thing. Saves one from having to do all that boring study and information gathering and evaluation to decide what brand of politics seems to suit best. Nope! You just slam your right fist into your left hand and say, "Dad was a Republican and that's good enough for me, by golly!".

Most kids pick up on their parent's politics at an early age. I remember back when Eisenhower was running against Adlai Stevenson for President in the early 1950’s. My best buddy, Bill, was backing Stevenson, the Democrat. I was for Ike. We made frequent trips to the local campaign headquarters of each candidate and loaded up on buttons and other handouts, and we had violent arguments about who was the best candidate. We were in fourth grade.

Bill's folks were Democrats and mine were Republicans....so they said. Bill's dad ran a big excavation company. My dad managed the local JC Penney store. Both moms stayed home and took care of the families and homes. Bill's mom was Catholic but seldom attended services. His dad was a golfer and went to the Church Of The 18 Holes every Sunday morning. My folks were Protestant, apparently, and attended the Presbyterian Church for a brief period but didn't seem to be overtly religious. My dad and I were both golfers. We sometimes went to church with Bill and his dad on Sunday mornings.

So, what am I today? Well, I'm not a card-carrying Democrat or Republican. The last time I filed to run for a partisan office, I filed as an Independent, held my own convention as required by law, and got up my own nominating petition as also required by law. So, maybe that makes me a true independent. I don't know. I tend to vote for more Republican candidates than Democrats but I'll often not vote for anyone for a particular office if none of the candidates seem worthy of my vote. I actually study the candidates, you see, and I go into it a lot deeper than merely reading the little brochures they mail out which usually say nothing at all.

I've also studied the major religions but haven't adopted anything except the basic tenets of them, which is generally a doctrine of how to lead a decent, productive life and to worry about the more important matters and deal with the problems which we face. As for all the rhetoric, rituals, symbolism, and pronouncements often seemingly required before one can be considered a "true believer" of one or another religion, I am perfectly comfortable ignoring them. What I believe or don't believe when it comes to spiritual matters is absolutely no one else's business and no one should have higher regard for me because I profess something they agree with nor hold me in contempt because I don't.

I will, however, leave this clue. Once upon a time, many years ago, one of my daughters asked if I believed in God. I told her it wasn't important to her what I believed. It was only important what she believed. It was night so I picked up my binoculars, took her outside, and had her look up into the sky through high magnification which allows you to see probably 100 times more stars than you can with the naked eye. She said something like, "Wow!". I asked her if she thought all that just happened on its own. She never asked me about my beliefs again. I think she formed her own.

And I think this is the way things should be. At least about the more important things. You have to decide for yourselves whether George Clooney knows more about United States foreign policy than you do….or can learn if you make the slightest effort. You have to decide whether you want Barbara Streisand’s money to determine who will represent you in Congress. Last time I checked, she didn't live in Washington so what's she doing trying to influence who will represent me? You have to decide whether or not your favorite reporter has been spouting facts as he/she doles out the news, or is broadcasting his own version of things in an hour-long editorial. For my part, I can tell you there is not one single source of "news" I completely trust. Not one! The media today is one big sinkhole of bias, deceit, lies, spin, incompetence, and downright disgusting malfeasance often bordering on treason. When it comes to the media, you would be well-advised to just think of it as entertainment since that’s exactly what it is. People wouldn’t watch, listen, or read if it wasn’t.

So, once more I ask. What are you, and why? Do you know?