I'm A Values Voter
The corporate (liberal is a misnomer) media like to discuss the "values voter," implying that those who, for religious reasons, support candidates who are against abortion (and for capital punishment), against gays (and for machine guns), for public prayer in schools (so long as it is their prayer), and for display of the Ten Commandments on government property (even though they may not be able to recite them).
Just as we have tolerated the estate tax being styled as the death tax, lowering of air pollution standards as the Clear Skies Act, so have we allowed these particular people who vote their "values" to be THE Values Voters. No more! I am a Values Voter and my values are just as American, maybe even as Christian, as those folks.
The first value I will vote will be the great American Value of minding our own business. Now, MYOB may not be in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, but "life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" depend somewhat on Americans minding their own damn business. I think we can save much conflict, money, heartache, and many lives of soldiers by applying this principle to the bodies of women, the rights and prerogatives of gays,the behaviors and choices of other peoples and governments, so long as they are not a genuine threat to the well-being of Americans.
The second value I will vote is the one trailblazed by Theodore Roosevelt--the conservation of our lands water, air, trees, and animals. Conservation is a less devisive term than ecology--probably some of us think it is probably somehow related to conservatism. So be it.
The third value I will vote is living within our means. I will seek opportunities to support leaders like Jeff Flake and Ron Paul, no matter what party label they carry. These two are examples of leaders who trust to the intelligence of their electorate and vote their beliefs, rather than selling their votes and "bringing home the bacon." I will take every opportunity to point out that Ron Lewis and Mitch McConnell may not deserve praise for "bringing home the bacon" in a defict budget, the debt from which will be bourne by our children and grandchildren.
The fourth value I will vote is people over corporations, American well-being over international "free trade," and close scrutiny of silly military expenditures based more on political earmarks and dealmaking with Pentagon brass rather than properly equipping and caring for our men and women in the services.
I will also vote the value of national service, with Vista, Peace Corps, and a modern Civilian Conservation Corps as choices in addition to the military branches. I would incentivize service with lifetime caps on Federal income tax based on years of service.
These five values seem more American than those other values and certainly are more joyful.
Just as we have tolerated the estate tax being styled as the death tax, lowering of air pollution standards as the Clear Skies Act, so have we allowed these particular people who vote their "values" to be THE Values Voters. No more! I am a Values Voter and my values are just as American, maybe even as Christian, as those folks.
The first value I will vote will be the great American Value of minding our own business. Now, MYOB may not be in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, but "life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" depend somewhat on Americans minding their own damn business. I think we can save much conflict, money, heartache, and many lives of soldiers by applying this principle to the bodies of women, the rights and prerogatives of gays,the behaviors and choices of other peoples and governments, so long as they are not a genuine threat to the well-being of Americans.
The second value I will vote is the one trailblazed by Theodore Roosevelt--the conservation of our lands water, air, trees, and animals. Conservation is a less devisive term than ecology--probably some of us think it is probably somehow related to conservatism. So be it.
The third value I will vote is living within our means. I will seek opportunities to support leaders like Jeff Flake and Ron Paul, no matter what party label they carry. These two are examples of leaders who trust to the intelligence of their electorate and vote their beliefs, rather than selling their votes and "bringing home the bacon." I will take every opportunity to point out that Ron Lewis and Mitch McConnell may not deserve praise for "bringing home the bacon" in a defict budget, the debt from which will be bourne by our children and grandchildren.
The fourth value I will vote is people over corporations, American well-being over international "free trade," and close scrutiny of silly military expenditures based more on political earmarks and dealmaking with Pentagon brass rather than properly equipping and caring for our men and women in the services.
I will also vote the value of national service, with Vista, Peace Corps, and a modern Civilian Conservation Corps as choices in addition to the military branches. I would incentivize service with lifetime caps on Federal income tax based on years of service.
These five values seem more American than those other values and certainly are more joyful.
posted by Ed at
11:56 PM
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