Donald Trump, Medical Marijuana and Throwing a Big Fat Republican Party

What is the matter with us?  Have we taken the level of political correctness, injury to our feelings and ability to be offended by anyone who looks different or thinks differently than ourselves, way too far?

Having a conversation with my daughter this morning, she informed me that Donald Trump, candidate for president, had assaulted a protestor and that anyone who votes for him promotes violence.  I asked her where and when.  She couldn’t provide the details, but because she read it online, she took it as fact and this information, possibly misinformation, has helped shape her opinion. 

Rewind a few days and this same intelligent daughter informed me that the Republican Party is one of intolerance, hatred and racism.  Now, this was an arrow through my very political soul.  I am a Republican.  I am a proud Republican.  I don’t believe that I am a terrible person consumed by hate, racism or intolerance.  The discussion about passing judgment on an entire group of people based on their voting preference will come later, when we have time to talk, not just chat over the sound of a blow dryer.

In the meantime here is what I do believe, because if you will hate me for my party affiliation, you might as well be clear on my beliefs:

• I believe that there are more people like me, in both parties, who believe in the Republic and the rights of the individuals to live and prosper with the freedoms that our founding Fathers spoke of during the formation of our nation.

• I believe that our family knows best how to manage our money and that we are all responsible for our own choices, decisions and repercussions of these decisions.  I do not believe that the government or my neighbors should be burdened with the financial responsibility of my personal choices.

• I believe that we as a human race and as a culture of hard working people, should offer assistance to those who need it, but never make that assistance a way of life.
  
• I believe that love comes in all forms.  I believe that it is not a choice that we make of who we love, but is the human nature of love and attraction.  I also believe that others, who do not agree with me on this issue, have the right to disagree.  It is my belief that these people are not homophobic, just living life by their beliefs and opinions.  I also believe that we should be able to live our beliefs without fear of reprisal from those who would not agree.

• I believe that issues that make us human should never have been politicized.  Life is life, but the person who ultimately must make the choice should have the freedom to do so without being fearful of being considered a murderer.  There are dark times and moments that many of us will never have the misfortune to experience, those who are in those moments deserve the same care as those who would deny them.

I believe that I am a good Republican.  I recognize that the party is evolving, the same as the Democratic Party has evolved; I challenge you to do your research.  Before you paint all Republicans as elite racists, it might help to know that the Republican Party was born out of a need to address human rights issues.  These same fundamental beliefs are what hold me to the party today,  

If you go to this link: http://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm you will find the following, plus much more.

Trying times spawn new forces. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 divided the country at the 36° 30' parallel between the pro-slavery, agrarian South and anti-slavery, industrial North, creating an uneasy peace which lasted for three decades. This peace was shattered in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Settlers would decide if their state would be free or slave. Northern leaders such as Horace Greeley, Salmon Chase and Charles Sumner could not sit back and watch the flood of pro-slavery settlers cross the parallel. A new party was needed.

With the current flood of rhetoric and candidate bashing, it is a wonder that any everyday American who looks to the media for their news is able to make an informed decision.  Because a fight broke out at a rally, candidates’ opponents will accuse him of promoting violence.

We will never all agree, that is where representative government comes in.   It is our responsibility to go out and cast our vote, not just post our dislike for one another, use the power that our founding fathers gave us and cast your vote; not just this year, but also every year.

While we are at it, maybe we can learn a little tolerance and yes I support Medical Marijuana too!

The Cost of Changing Your Perception

How many times have we heard, "Can't we all just get along?"  Some people really mean it when they ask that question, others just want you to agree with their way of thinking.  Once you change to their way thinking, there is sudden harmony.  But at what cost, and is that price worth paying for peace in your life?

Take a look at this picture.  Don't these three dogs look like they are having some fun along the fence?

Would you be surprised if I told you that the two chihuahua's go to the fence line daily to start stuff with the bigger golden doodle and what this picture really depicted was an uneven dog fight?

 The two chi's don't find anything wrong with ganging up on this sweet older larger dog.  They feel entitled. They take their size and factor it into their decision to gang up and go after him for just living his life differently from them on his side of the fence.

But how do you teach these guys to get along.  Is it any easier to teach people to get along?  For the record those sweet little chi's with all of their bad behavior and bluster belong to me.

I work in an industry where being adversarial can be considered a valuable asset.  Find that thing about your opponent that you can expose to show the flaw in their character to in turn promote the one you support.  Yea, it's as soul eating as it sounds.  After a while, you start to search for the good in your opponent, because not everyone can really be that bad.

Fortunately for the past number of years I have been fortunate to work with a public official who doesn't believe in politics as usual.  Thank goodness, or I would have burned out long ago.

So how do you find common ground with someone who feels your ideas are not worthy of understanding?  Let's use the dogs as an example again, how do we get them to stop barking at each other long enough to take a break and sniff their neighbor.  The truth is that they have been barking at the fence line for years.  They bark at each other, pee on each other, steal each others balls if given the chance and I can only imagine what would happen if they found themselves on the same side of the fence.

Eventually they have to get tired right?  Can they find a place in their own hearts that just can't fight any further?  Can they just learn to get along?  Maybe they just need to find a common objective; like a cat or wayward possum to chase together.

I found my own political possum last night with a democrat friend of mine.  Yes, I am a Republican and have a Democrat friend.  I have quite a few actually, but I won't out them so that they won't be embarrassed by being connected to me!

So while I was watching the GOP debate last night, I got a text from one of these Dem Friends.  Turns out they find Donald Trump as interesting as I do.  Maybe not interesting like a History class but interesting like a Roast on Comedy Central or somewhere in between.

As we exchanged our favorite Donald Trump quotes of the night it came to light that we each had a mutual dislike of a political possum that we would forever refer to as Ramen Noodles.

She is a Democrat.  I am a Republican.  We are as far apart politically as a small and large dog are on opposite sides of the fence, but look at that, we can still keep talking and sharing our opinions and beliefs.

You just have to have ground rules and respect the rules.  Kind of like the fence.  My number one rule with this friend is to never bash Hillary in her presence unless I am ready to debate into the late hours of the night.  I can do it, I like to do it, but the cost is just too high and our friendship is more important.

She has a right to her opinion and I have a right to my vote.  So tell me, what does it cost us to find a common cause and work together to resolve the discomfort that makes us hesitate to change our perception of our opponents?

Everyone has been faced with this problem, its not just politics.  So share with me, who is your political possum and could you find a way to get along?