Core Issues to think about when Voting...

When preparing to vote I think the issues are unclear to a person new to the political world. So, I am going to spend some time defining these issues, and guiding a thought process. I will NEVER tell you what to think, but instead I will help you have a deeper understanding of what is happening in our society. It may take a few blogs, but here goes...

Most issues wrap around how we view the qualities of a person. Once we define how we see each person, then we will view political issues based on that definition. You can find some of this information in my discussion of “The Individual.”

Ultimately, I believe that people on both side of all the issues truly care about others, but their views on how to care for others varies because they see the individual differently.

Let’s look at the first issue, “The Underprivileged,” also know as the Welfare issue. Conservatives believe that people have the ability to care for themselves and that we should empower them to care for themselves. Liberals believe that “the man” takes advantage of people and thus they need caring for. This issue can be further discussed when discussing socialism vs. capitalism. The socialist would say that society should equal out the opportunities in life and take from the privileged to give a hand to the underprivileged. The capitalist would say that the barriers to progress should be removed so everyone has a chance to “be all they can be”, and thus increase the individuals ingenuity ... Both views care for those in need, but they approach it in a different way. One (conservatives) want to “teach them how to fish” and the other (liberal) want to feed them. Obviously, for this blog I have simplified the discussion of this subject, but I may decide to revisit it later....

Just a note: I assume everyone is concerned for the poor in our country because I assume we all have hearts. This does not mean that I assume all people receiving care and benefits are legitimately receiving care. In fact, many people take advantage of “the system”... which is why I am a fan of the local non-profit. The local non-profit has the ability to reach out to each individual in a personal way and walks through the problems with the person instead of pushing them through a system...as a result, they are more likely to help the truly needy and not be taken advantage of by the dishonest.



*when I use the term conservation and liberal I use it as it is used politically in the US, I do not use it in the traditional views of those terms