Discontented Ramblings...

Maybe it's just me, but it seems as though, in every direction I look, what I see upsets me.

The Republican Presidential debates? Talk about a misnomer. What part of these things is in the least bit "presidential?" And I'm pretty sure the dialogue is a lot more about accusations and self-promotion than any kind of debate I've ever seen.

I'm a life-long registered Republican, though in the interests of full disclosure, I did work for Jimmy Carter's campaign in 1976 (I wasn't old enough to vote yet), and I did vote for Barack Obama in the last election. For years and years, it just seemed to me that it was typically the Republican candidates who espoused positions closest to my own.

Now, I've hit the magic 5-0 in age, so maybe some things are changing inside of me. Or maybe the nature of Republican candidates is changing. I'm not sure which. But suddenly I find so very few of them who hold positions and opinions that I share.

If I were to try to define Republican ideology today, it would go something like this.

"We, the Republican party, will do everything in our power to facilitate the operation of businesses in our great nation. This includes any and all of the following: tax breaks, litigation limits, elimination of federal regulations, availability of natural resources, and governmental bailouts (should our businesses suffer loss). At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that no similar benefits be available to individual members of the citizenry of this great land, because we believe the Bible when it says 'the Lord helps those who help themselves.' Finally, we promise to do everything in our power to make all of our personal beliefs a part of the constitution of our country. As they should be. Amen"

I'm pretty sure by the way, that quote is NOT in the Bible, but I'm also sure that this would be a minor issue for most in the Republican party.

Now, to be fair, I'm sure many of my friends could write a similarly sarcastic mission statement for many in the Democratic party. But this misses the point of my diatribe.

What the Republican party seems to be fighting for today is no longer what I believe in.

Business is important, and I support the success of businesses everywhere. Without businesses, I don't have a job, and I cannot buy the things that my family desires (whether needs or wants). I have absolutely no problem with a business making a profit either. The United States SHOULD be a country where personal initiative, creativity, and inventiveness can be rewarded tangibly.

But when a company makes a profit of BILLIONS of dollars in a single calendar quarter, I have a bit of a problem with them (a) trying to convince me that the "economic climate" is not business friendly, (b) that they need MORE tax breaks and incentives, and (c) that they could in some miraculous way not only owe NO taxes, but receive a huge RETURN.

Something is wrong with our system when that happens.

And it DOES happen.

The reason there are so many federal and state regulations on certain business practices is that businesses proved historically that, without them, they are prone to value profit over what is right. Doesn't matter whether we are talking about child labor, the building and selling of faulty merchandise that maims the purchaser, or production processes that lead to pollution and contamination that harms the citizens in the surrounding areas. Look, if it had NEVER happened, there would be no laws to ensure it doesn't happen in the future!

In our state of North Carolina, we are being wooed by the "fracking" industry. I've read a bit about it, but not nearly enough to speak definitively about it being good or bad. But just listen to the general description and make a common sense impression about it:

"In a hydraulic fracturing job, "fracturing fluids" or "pumping fluids" consisting primarily of water and sand are injected under high pressure into the producing formation, creating fissures that allow resources to move freely from rock pores where it is trapped.

While 99.5 percent of the fluids used consist of water and sand, some chemicals are added to improve the flow. The composition of the chemical mixes varies from well to well."

This explanation is from a fracking industry website. Other, less friendly, websites strongly dispute the last claim of less than 1% chemical injections. Either way, high pressure mixture of sand, water, and unknown chemicals are blasted through the ground in order to free up natural gas for collection.

Now that sounds like something that needs a bunch of further examination. Yet when the issue came before our State legislature this year, the Republicans were ready to start printing permits for the fracking companies.

See...I'm NOT ok with that kind of thinking.

But again, I digress...

I personally feel as though the Republican party no longer represents me or speaks for me. And as I try to deepen my personal faith, I find it harder and harder to align myself with a party that appears to choose the rich young ruler over the woman at the well. Oh, the grand old party will jump at the chance to lash out on moral issues like marriage ammendments, abortion, gay rights, etc. But where is their indignation when children are starving while corporations are making profits in the millions and billions? Why is it that when I read the stories of Jesus in the Bible, he's lashing out at the "powers that be," and taking his message to the scorned members of society?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in any way advocating for some type of de-facto theocracy. I'm not particularly comfortable with my government playing the role of my church. It's too easy to wind up on the short end of that stick.

I really intended to talk about some other current issues that have me bothered, but I've gone on a bit too long perhaps about my discontent with the Republican party, so maybe it's time to draw this to a close.

I'm not declaring myself a member of the Democratic party. But I'm more than fed up with the current incarnation of the Republican party. And that's definitely one of the things I'm seeing that makes me upset.