"Ball of confusion--that's what the world is today" --The Temptations
If frustration leads to action, this blog is the expression of my frustration. With political views seemingly becoming more and more polarized, I find it rather ironic that, at the core, most people's political views focus on very similar values. People on the left and right (and shades in between) tend to want a political climate that promotes prosperity, safety, opportunity, and "freedom" (whatever that means).
"Freedom" is one of those interesting words that really has no meaning until it is connected with some other idea. It is invariably meant to be "freedom to do" or "be" something, and, presumably, there is some entity that is trying to prevent the individual from "doing" or "being" whatever it is that the individual is seeking.
It seems that those on the right see the "preventing entity" as being "the government" (as if, as citizens, they have no connection to this entity). On the left, the "preventing entity" attempting to thwart freedom is often seen as organizations wielding power as a result of control of resources (such as large businesses and those who control them that seem willing to sacrifice the well-being of those not possessing power in order to protect and extend their own financial well-being).
The result of the different views of just who and what the "preventing entity" is leads to fundamental differences in views about what role the government should play (i.e., is government the problem or the solution). Ironically, it seems to me that the resulting desire of the political philosophies of those on both the left and right is to return power to the individual citizen through empowering the populace. This ultimate shared goal provides many avenues for developing understanding and collaborations across political ideologies--if only we can get beyond the mire of politically charged name-calling and stubbornness that seems to have pushed our political process into a quagmire.
The goal and purpose of this blog is 1) to provide an outlet for me to formulate and vent my political ideas, and 2) to provide a forum for thoughtful and open political debate. As an educator, I tend to view government as a communally shared investment program to help America effectively face the challenges and opportunities presented by our future. This view tends to shift me more into the "liberal" camp, although I try to see and understand the conservative view point to help shape my thinking. I sincerely invite open political discussion and debate on this blog. Feel free to weigh in on any topic I choose to post about here, but if you do contribute, please be civil. No "yuh-huh," "nuh-uh" dialogue allowed. If you disagree with a view presented, please explain WHY you disagree and provide alternative ideas to be discussed.
Thank you, and God Bless America!
