Let's Talk Politics

First things first: I do not support either President Obama or Mitt Romney. My leanings are more Democratic than anything else, but I consider myself an independent.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. Here in America, the election is on Tuesday. The day after my birthday, in fact. Both candidates for the presidency are pouring all of their efforts into getting swing voters (such as myself) to pick them. Unfortunately, if the others are like me, they're not going to convince anyone of anything.

You see, I'm not voting for either candidate. I suppose if I were held at gunpoint and told to pick one, I would pick President Obama. But as that isn't the case, I'm doing a write-in.

Why am I not just voting for the current president? Because I do not think he has done a swell job running the country. This does not mean that I think he was completely incompetent, like so many do; it means that I think he made mistakes, and I'd prefer he not make them again. He is not capable of getting us out of debt, but neither is Romney.

Why am I not voting for Mitt Romney? For a myriad more reasons than why I'm not voting for President Obama. My liberal leanings make me hesitant to vote Republican, and I'll tell you the two major reasons why.

1) Gay marriage. Do I think homosexual marriage is okay? No. BEFORE you hate on me, let me elaborate. Marriage, as it has been defined by the American people, is a Christian institution. Christians (I'm talking about the general term, I know that there are several denominations with varying beliefs about this topic) believe that marriage is between one man and one woman.

IF America did not define marriage as such, I would not have a problem with gay marriage. As such, however, I do believe that they should be allowed to be joined in a legally binding union that works the same as marriage, but isn't called the same term. We are a country based on religious freedom, and if we force Christianity to do this, it goes against everything America was based upon.

Now, if a particular leader of the clergy within a church wants to perform a marriage ceremony for a homosexual couple, that's fine. He's within his own beliefs. But we cannot make others do the same. It's not a matter of simple words. It's a matter of Heaven and Hell. If someone believes that they will go to Hell for performing such a ceremony, then you have absolutely no right to make them do it anyway.

2) Abortion. Do I think abortion is okay? No. Noticing a theme here? According to my beliefs, I do not approve of killing another person, no matter their cell count. However, it is stupid to think that outlawing abortion is a good idea.

People will still get them. If someone does not want that baby, they will find a way to get rid of it. They will either get one done illegally (which can result in being barren, infection, and even death) or find another way to abort the fetus. Have you seen Law and Order: SVU? There's an episode where a girl gets her boyfriend to beat her with a lamp until the baby dies. That may sound over-dramatic and brutal, but I do not think it outside the realm of possibility.

Furthermore, in cases of rape and incest, I cannot say that I think abortion is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Unless you have been in that situation and felt that particular psychosis, you have no right to tell them that they are going to Hell or are murderers. If you can, then I'm sorry that you are incapable of compassion.

When it comes to cases where it's women who decided to have sex before they were ready to have children, I absolutely think they should not have abortions. If you think you are mature enough to have sex, then you must think you are mature enough to take care of a child. There are no excuses to be made here.

I do have an issue with tax money paying for abortions. Unless it is in the case of rape or incest, I think that the woman wishing to abort her baby should pay for it.

So there you have it. My current political views. I am not the person watching every debate, reading every news article. I only know the difference between a Democrat and a Republican because of AP Government, which I took over two years ago. I will never claim to know the details, but I do know the big picture. And it isn't very pretty for either side.