Digression into Politics on the Eve of the Inauguration

Okay, in this season of politics, I can’t help but venture down what could be a dangerous road…talking about my perspective in a public forum. Yikes!

I am a Single Woman (hmm…not sure about the Woman title, but we’ll go with it for now) living in Washington State in 2008. But does that really define me? Let’s see, what other labels can I attach to myself or my lifestyle? I am almost 30, therefore right in between Gen X and Gen Y (depending on where you draw the line), I work a full-time job, I own my house (well, I have a nice mortgage to go with it!), I grew up in the shadow of Microsoft and have had access to computers in school since Kindergarten, I am heterosexual, live alone (with two cats), don’t smoke, drink socially, my parents are still married (30 years!), I have an older sister from my dad’s first marriage and a younger brother.

Does that define me? From that, would a polster or analyst be able to predict how I would vote and/or which issues are important to me? I have no idea.

What I can tell you is what issues ARE important to me and even a bit about why. This year I find there are three main “subjects” in the political arena that I find important: social issues, fiscal responsibility, and foreign policy. However, when I look at my views in each of these areas I find my perspectives do not fit nicely in one, or even two, political parties.

Let’s take foreign policy first. We are a global society and economy. Nothing has demonstrated that more effectively than the recent credit crisis here in the United States. This is not something that is affecting us alone. Banks are failing around the world; markets are seeing precipitous drops everywhere; our tightening economy is changing the price on international goods (read Oil). While we cannot lock ourselves away and stop interacting with the rest of the globe, we can admit we’ve been wrong and attempted to undo some of the major problems we, as a country, have created elsewhere. We are not and do not need to be the Global Cop. It is not our job, responsibility or even right to require other countries and cultures to adopt our way of thinking, living, or voting. We need to participate in world politics, not steamroll them. We do not always have to be right; we can simply listen and acknowledge that there are other ways of living, and that it is okay to be different. I honestly don’t know which political party this point of view would fall under, Libertarian, maybe. Regardless, while important, and certainly something I feel strongly about, my vote will not be decided by a candidate’s stand on foreign policy.

Now, let’s look at fiscal responsibility. I want to be rich (I know, I know – who doesn’t?), but because I have not only the desire but belief that one day I will climb tax brackets it’s important to me that everything I earn does not get immediately “reinvested” into the government. I use the term reinvested on purpose. I want to invest my money how I see fit. Now, before I have rotten food thrown at me, please know that I also want to give back. There are many organizations and causes I support and I would like to provide fiscal sustainability to them. There are also, many causes I do not support. Many of these are government run and I would rather not have my tax dollars invested in them.

Finally, onto social issues. First, I want to get something off my chest. I hate it when polls ask whether voters made the choice the did because of social issues because it always seems to be that everyone they’ve polled are as conservative as you can get. What about us liberals who vote the way we do because of social issues? Should we call it something else? I voted to support more rights, not less. That’s how it feels sometimes when it comes to the social agenda. I support equal rights for gay couples as heterosexual couples. I support a woman’s right to choose. I support less government involvement in my personal life and personal decisions. I do not want the government to tell me that, even if I’ve been raped, it’s legal for the pharmacist to deny me the right to buy the “morning after” pill.

This year, it is the social agenda of the candidates that will determine the way I vote. Do I agree with everything my candidate says or stands for? No. However, I doubt I will ever agree with any politician on even 50% of the issues; they are trying to please too many people for them to ever be able to believe the same things I do. (Trust me, if I ever decided to run for office, I’m not even sure my mom would vote for me!)