choices

Politics has been the mainstream for the last month or more. Up until a year or so ago, I didn't give much thought to politics. I turned a blind eye to most of it, foolishly I might add. While I'm still figuring policies and legislation, it's given me much time to decide what I truly believe in as an American citizen. Here's what I've come up with thus far:

1. Abortion-while I don't agree with it, I do not believe the government has the right to tell me what to do with my body. As a woman, I find that deeply offensive. This is MY body and I'll do with it as I see fit. You don't like abortions? Don't get one. No man, woman or child should ever be told what to do with their bodies, much less by the government.

2. Marriage-Gay, straight, curved or crooked. I don't care. It's not my business who you love or don't love or whom you choose to spend the rest of your life with. It certainly is none of the government's business and they should have no say so in who you marry.

3. Military-I bleed red, white and blue and came out of the womb as such. Both my parents and my brother along with uncles, grandparents and so forth have served this great nation and I'm extremely proud of that. I am the wife of a soldier who has been deployed three times. I stand by his side strongly and proudly and I will always until my last dying breath. I believe that one of the requirements to becoming President of the United States is that you serve this country for a minimum of four years. You have no business dictating military policies or being Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces if you've never experienced them yourself.

4. Welfare-I have no problem giving a helping hand when needed. I have walked in those shoes many times and have needed assistance myself. I am not ashamed to admit that I've been on foodstamps a time or two but here's how it went: When I needed the help, I asked for it, qualified and received. When I no longer needed help, I voluntarily stopped receiving assistance. That is exactly how it should work. I am sympathetic to those who cannot work either because of physical or mental handicaps. Those who are perfectly capable of working should. Cheating and abusing the system is not ok by my standards and those who do so should be punished. Yes, I believe that if you want assistance, you should take regular and random drug tests. Most employers routinely require drug testing for work. If you cannot pass a drug test, then you should receive no help. I suppose if you want help bad enough, you'll leave the drugs alone.

5. Religion-I believe in God. What God is none of your business and neither is your God any of mine. I believe in the freedom of religion as well as the ability to express that belief. I don't care of you are Pagan, atheist, Buddhist or worship the devil himself. That is your belief. Religion is a touchy subject. Me personally, if you wanna walk around with a sign saying "I believe in Allah" be my guest. I don't have to read it or believe in it. Unfortunately, religion is not that simple. But then again, nothing in politics is.

6. Healthcare-I am still undecided on this and I have may mixed emotions about it. I still haven't done enough research to make any sound, rational decisions but I'll admit, I am not fond of the idea of having to pay for someone else's insurance simply because they cannot afford it. I believe in some ways, it should be similar to automobile insurance. The law requires me to carry auto insurance. No one pays for it if I don't purchase it myself. I just get penalized if I'm caught driving without it. I don't feel sorry for people who don't have auto insurance. So should I feel sorry for those who don't have health insurance? The jury is still out on that one. Having spent a small amount of time in the healthcare world, I can see many sides of this. But I'll have to come back to this when I have more reliable information.

7. Immigration-Be legal. If you want to live in my country, you should follow our rules. Do you know that Australia is one of the hardest countries to obtain citizenship, let alone visit? They even go as far as having weight requirements. You have to have a college degree in order to take residence there and even then you do not have the same rights as a citizen does. So what is so difficult about going the legal route to become a US citizen?

8. Death penalty-I believe in it to the fullest extent. That is all.

9. International policy-Help at home first. I understand the theory of "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours". That's all great and lovely but when is it too much? When you are to the point that China practically owns you? Yeah, I think that's a bit much. We'd have PLENTY of work here if we just made what China is making for us. You'd see more "Made in America" than "Made in China" stamped on the bottom of my Walmart products. Wouldn't that solve the unemployment problem? Maybe. I'm not a genius but it kinda makes sense to me.

10. Income-If you  make more, you should pay more taxes, If you make less, you should pay less. Seems pretty simple to me. What sense does it make for someone who makes less than $25K a year to pay at the same tax rate as someone who makes $100K a year? None. Just pay your damn taxes.

I believe marijuana should be legal. I don't believe we should be bailing out big industry businesses. I've studied enough business in college to know that it's just not good practice. It gives people an excuse to ask for handouts. If you cannot run your business properly, you shouldn't be in it. I believe our government is way too involved in our personal lives. I believe we should all have the right to carry guns, as long as you meet the recommended requires of your state laws. Do you think making weed and guns illegal are going to stop people from using them? Uh, no. Do you think they hurt people? Nope. Not at all. People hurt people. It's a pretty simple concept, in my opinion. If you don't wanna do it, don't. But don't stop others who want to and are responsible about it.

I'm sure there is much more that I haven't covered, but that's the jist of it. Am I Democratic? Republican? Who cares? It's all about your choices and beliefs. I don't believe political titles are going to change anything in our country.

But just in case you are wondering, I recently did a "test", if you will, to determine where I stand politically. According to the results, I am considered "Neo-conservative". More along the lines and beliefs of  Dr. Jill Stein, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.