Well, after watching the State of the Union with Paul, I must say, I didn't really hear anything that made me jump off my seat and scream..."you're right on track". But, what I did do, was log onto my Facebook account and notice things that my friends were saying and/or thinking about the President's words. Nothing enrages me more than reading comments from people that I feel are inaccurate or uneducated or overly simplified. Now, because I believe it is every American's right to hold their own political views, I will not call out which thoughts enraged me, but I will say, being pregnant, the rage came on quickly. hahaha...I guess I can be quite emotional sometimes.
For those that do not know me well, I should point out that I am your all American, love my country kind of a girl. My father is a retired Sgt. Major in the Marine Corps. I was raised saying the pledge of allegiance every day in school, singing the national anthem and patriotic songs just for fun. I, myself, was a Young Marine and am proud to say that I will always stand up to defend our nation against those that want to "bad mouth" it or voice their opinions in disrespectful ways. My youngest brother, Dennis, died on foreign soil while serving in the Marine Corps. I love the USA. Got it? I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea if you don't agree with what I am saying.
So, what stood out to me the most tonight was this thought: Americans will never fully agree, but we must do our best to work together for the most good. The problems we are facing now are not the result of the current President, but the result of administrations past. Just as the "solutions" enacted by the current administration will not be seen for administraions to come. Let's stop pointing the finger and figure this out. And, for the record: Obama is NOT a Socialist or Muslim or a non-US born citizen. MOVE ON people!
And, why must I continue to hear the argument that the President has done nothing since he's been in office. There is NO quick fix. Obama is not a GOD like everyone made him out to be. He is a man, and under him, are many men and women "trying" to do the right thing. Man is fallible. How the heck do you think we go into this mess?
I am so tired of the same old whiny arguments that hold no real water. Its time to move forward. Unfortunately, we hear this "work together", "bipartisan" talk ALL the time. But, when it comes down to it, politicians want to stay in office, and most will do whatever it takes to do so. Generally, that means voting for things they don't believe in, or throwing others under the bus, or even character assassination.
Also, I think that often people want to be either a Republican or Democrat (or Independent, Green, Libertarian, whatever), when really, their views fall all over the place. It is possible to be fiscally conservative, morally moderate, socially liberal, etc. But, the average American wants to put themselves in a group. Therefore, they sacrifice their true beliefs to become part of something bigger...a political mob, if you will. I just don't understand why people think that others must always be wrong. Guess what?! If we put our minds together, we might actually be able to meet in the middle and come up with the right darn solution, instead of just telling each other and the media how wrong the other party is.
As a parent, I fear that when my children are old enough to vote, they will still have to deal with this mess. A nation of politicians that seem to lose sight of why they are in office in the first place. Now, don't get me wrong. There are many politicians that "remember", but just as many, or more that realize that they must play the political game to get where they want to be. I hope for my children, that we, as Americans, have at least figured out how to stop the fiscal bleeding. That we choose political means by which to show our muscle, instead of our military (it just risks too many lives, and destroys too many more). That we realize that what makes our nation great is the principal that we were founded on: all people are welcome in these borders. That we have learned that discrimination is NEVER acceptable, no matter what your race, creed, sexual orientation, nation of origin, etc... And, that yes, people kill people, not guns, but that by making guns (such as semi-automatic weapons) so readily available, we help those people to kill other people.
I could go on, but my bed is calling me, and the baby inside me is probably wondering why I don't ever get any sleep.
So, I will leave you with this: A nation of great people is a nation where people of different backgrounds and beliefs come together to create an environment in which all can thrive. I hope one day, that will be the America I love so very much!
