Election Day

Here we go:

Both candidates are against gay marriage. Both have voted pro choice before. Both care about the environment. Though most of these issues are dealt with by other branches, or are state by state, the President has a say in whom he selects as a Supreme Court Judge and has direct influences over the states. Both candidates are fairly moderate and vote pretty similarly when it comes to key issues. However, I voted for Obama because John McCain's policies are too close to President Bush. Though I feel like President Bush has gotten a lot more crap than he deserves, I have been in utter disagreement wit most of his policies. I need a leader who is at least going to make an attempt to dissipate from this war. I need a leader who cares about how the rest of the world views us.

That said, I do not really care for Obama. I think his rhetoric is what has gotten him where he is today. I don’t think he is going to be one of our greatest leaders, nor do I think he will be able to turn a lot of things around. I know that only God can. The bible calls us to respect and pray for those in authority, so I am committed to do just that. Whoever becomes president, I know that I need to respect their authority and pray for them daily. Pray that God would direct their decisions and that they would follow His way.

Though I am in Oregon, I voted absentee, so I was able to vote for California Measures. I voted yes on prop 8. I did this because 8 years ago, Californians democratically voted against gay marriage. Over a weekend earlier this year, a few judges made gay marriage constitutional. That was in no way democratic. That was a government over stepping it boundaries, making a decision for the people who had already made a different decision. That is too much like 1984 or a communist country to me. I live in a land that practices democracy, not in a land dictated by the government. I live in a land that advocates for the separation of church and state, so I know that I have a right to vote to keep marriage as a religious holy ordinance between a man and a woman. I can advocate for the government not to step on my religion. It doesn’t mean I am intolerant, or that I am against equality. It simply means that I am an American who has her set beliefs and is allowed to practice them separate from the government. I am an American who will not let my government become a dictatorship.

I voted for the parental notification when a minor is going to get an abortion. The main argument against this is that girls who come from abusive homes will face great hardships if this happens. Here is the thing...nobody is telling these teenage girls how physically dangerous abortions can be (internal bleeding, becoming sterile, death). We are considered minors until we are 18, because we are still in our formative years until then. When we hit 18, we can decide if we want to gamble, smoke or get an abortion. But before then, it is unfair to out that much responsibility in the hands of someone so vulnerable. For the girls who come from abusive backgrounds, there is hope. Shelters for minor girls who are pregnant. This keeps them away from their abuser. My roommate works at one of these.

I decided not to increase police pay because of their continued misuse of money, racial profiling and power. They are among the highest paid in the nation and LA and Long Beach are the cities most infamous for police brutality. I will not support that behavior. (Note: I do not believe all police are bad, but until things get under control, I will not vote to grant my money to those who misuse. Christ has called me to be a good steward of my funds).

I voted for the humane treatment of farm animals.

More than you wanted to know? Probably not if you are still reading this :)

I am a moderate voter as many of you know. I do not affiliate with one political party. I do not use God as a means to push a political agenda, but I try to make every political decision with a biblically informed mind frame. I wanted to write all of this out, so you knew why I was voting the way that I was. I know that a lot of my brothers and sisters in Christ have voted differently than I have. It doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong. It simply means that we are trying to be the most Christ like that we can be in this imperfect world. I was talking to a new friend the other day about how Heaven wouldn’t be a democracy, but rather communism, under a perfect ruler, something we could never obtain on earth....true utopia. Until then, we strive to be His light under the imperfect rulings of this earth. I am thankful for the freedoms I have in America, though they are not nearly as perfect as the freedom in Christ.