Disclaimer: I'm about to get serious...
We've watched a lot of political coverage around these parts throughout this election. A lot. Too much, probably. No, definitely. And while I usually smile and tout Clark's political exuberance to friends and family as the reason, I have to admit that, when the outcome of the election was announced last night, I was more disappointed and disheartened than I thought I would be. I even posted a couple of things on Facebook that were uncharacteristically pessimistic/sarcastic.
Now that I have had a few hours to collect my thoughts, I've come to some conclusions--meaning that once I have said them I will have concluded my opinions and moved on with this life of mine! (:
I do have concerns about the future of America, of my little family. I don't think they are irrational. One example: I truly feel that the entitlement mentality throughout the country is very prominent--I would put it at the top of my list of concerns. A friend of ours was recently out of work for a time and on food stamps. He worked hard to find a job and provide for his family again on his own, to his great credit. But, he told us, while on food stamps, his family of four was given $800 per month toward food. They could buy steak, salmon, you name it, whenever they wanted, and clearly ate very, very well. If this holds true for the majority on food stamps, how can I blame them for not rushing back to work? I and countless others budget, coupon, and itemize to varying degrees the food we buy for our families each month. To me, this is simply unethical. How can our country, so far in debt already, afford this? I sincerely do not understand what is gained by encouraging this kind of dependance. What can be done to discourage exorbitant handouts but still help the needy, and more importantly, to encourage a spirit of service to our fellow Americans? A major paradigm shift is needed here...
There are other issues about which I have concerns, but I have always felt proud to be an American, and I still do. That said, I do not feel that the Obama team ran a respectful campaign; it was at times divisive, ugly, and dishonest. There were plenty of negative ads coming from the Romney side as well, though, in my opinion, they were less personally abasing. All in all, I am glad it is over. It was a tight race, further proving that we as a country are fundamentally divided. Some may think this is a redeeming characteristic of America, but it just saddens me and has not proven to be productive in the last four years, or before then, even.
My conclusion: what the outcome of this race provides is significant opportunity: opportunity to move forward and exercise faith in the greatness of America, and faith that those who lead our country will find a way to reach across the isle and work together to better the lives of those they lead; opportunity to continue to work hard, love our families, to raise tolerant, respectable, and respectful children, and to do our best to provide them with the future they deserve. There are a lot of angry people out there today. Here's hoping that anger will turn to resolve, confusion to cooperation, and fear to faith!!