Political View Part one

Political View Part One

The framework of my political ideology was shaped by the influence of my living environment.  Family clearly has had the most profound influence on the development of my political views. The self-evaluation identified that my political view is a Liberal view, but I disagree.  I do not share the same Liberal views on ethical issues, such as abortion rights, embryonic stem cell research, or euthanasia & physician-assisted suicide, but I agree that the government should support certain programs such as public assistance.  The liberal is said to believe that “Government is viewed as the only agent of people capable of bringing to bear rational problem solving techniques and the authority to carry such policies out at the societal level.” I do not want to be identified with a view that I do not agree with 100%.   It is not uncommon for one’s political views to be mixed.  Most people views are mixed, and some are not affiliated with a particular political party. I believe my attitude about government responsibility was truly impacted by witnessing my sibling relies on public assistance programs. I have a sibling that relies on disability and the State Medicaid health plan.  One will argue that government assistance programs should be eliminated, but my position is that they should not be used as a permanent source, but rather a stepping-stone. We must understand how certain issues will impact what is important to us.    I lost my job of 16 years in 2008, and was unemployed for 8 months.   I was moved with emotion by the “yes we can” theme, the voice of change influenced my voting for President Obama.   My concern was the state of the economy, as I was personally being impacted by unemployment.  Obama’s plan for job creation was attractive.  The fact that for the first time an African American was running for president to me was a sure sign that the times were changing, and maybe the non-traditional trend of a type of president was needed.  The level of my emotions motivated me to attend the Presidential Inauguration, which is an event I never even thought about attending.  In the book The Political Brain, Drew Westin states,   “the political brain is an emotional brain . . . not a dispassionate calculating machine.”  I believe that emotions do play a factor in many Americans voting choice. I understand voting is a great responsibility, and I must be prayerful when making my voting decisions in the future. Our values should be the standard we use as our basis for organizing our political views and positions of policies.   I use to vote straight Democratic Party, but when I reached adulthood and began to understand I believe that it is important to understand what each candidate values and beliefs are, and to utilize this information as a guide in the voting process.  The government should address and protect the needs of the people. As it states in The Declaration of Independence, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness --That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men…” I believe the government guides the pace of our society, and holds the responsibility of ensuring that policy and law are in place so that our nation is stabilized.   It is difficult for me to identify with a particular party.  I have voted primarily Democrat, but I voted for George Bush, so what does that make me?  I vote based on the candidates position on particular issues that are of priority to me.   I am providing more social exposure than I received in my childhood.  I believe as I have grown in my Christian walk, I am becoming more conscientious of the importance of being an involved citizen.  I have increased in my community service involvement, and have also participated in a mission trip to South Africa.   I understand that I must instill in my children they must make an effort to positively impact the society around them.

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