After my previous blog post, I have faced a lot of heat in regards to my political affiliation. I have been accused of horrible things. I have been called horrible things. And I am left wondering how any person can think it is appropriate to publicly attack another individual because of their views, regardless of what they are. It is ironic that people may know me for years, but the moment they discover one tiny fact of who I am, their opinion of me can change in a matter of seconds.
Is it Christlike to call a child of God awful things merely because of the way they voted? How is it appropriate to belittle, demean, berate, and attack an individual because they voted for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama? How can you accuse another individual of being uneducated on their vote when you have no idea how much research they have put into their votes?
I believe in respect. I believe that no individual is better than the next. Circumstances may vary, but Christ sees us all as equal human beings. We all come from the same place. We each face different trials that others don't even see or cannot understand. I believe that we need to be informed on every issue on the ballot. I believe that difference of opinion is what makes democracy function. I believe that a one party system (regardless of which party) is a failure to each American. The point of democracy is to hear both sides of the issue and to make compromises.
I will never disrespect another individual because they have voted differently than I. I may express my difference of opinion, but I will never accuse another individual of being uneducated, foolish, or flat out stupid. Our views may vary, but I trust that you, like me, have studied out candidates and issues and that you feel comfortable with the choices that you have made. I will never attack you or bully you for being different. I will never feel a need to 'educate' you on the truth.
I am more than happy to share my views with others. I am more than happy to hear the views of others. But I refuse to stand here quietly while being attacked because of the conclusions I have made and the vote I have cast. The things I have seen on Facebook in the past few weeks, from both parties, make me sick. Would you really say what you have written to a person's face? Do you really think everyone who has voted for Romney doesn't understand women's rights? Do you really think that everyone who does vote for Romney is racist?
I understand that I live in a state where my view is a minority. I can understand that I am going to see support for candidates that I may not agree with. I do not understand how any individual can think it is okay to verbally attack another individual for different thoughts. How is it okay that one individual expressing so many of their constitutional rights is attacked for voting for what they believe in? Isn't that exactly what you are doing? Why bash on others for doing exactly what you are doing?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Political Rant: An Explanation of my Views
I made it to the day before election day to spout off! That is a huge deal! Be proud of me world! Today, I reached boiling point and would just like to make a few points. First and foremost, both my husband and I are registered democrats. I believe that it is not the role of the government to determine what is and is not legal for people to do in their own lives. It is not the business of the government to tell a woman that she cannot have an abortion, that gay marriage is illegal, or that the death sentence should be imposed. I even support many aspects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
I believe that every individual should be allowed to use their right to choose, rather than the government choosing for us. While I may not personally feel that certain social policies are right, it is not my place to make my beliefs law. For instance, I do not think I would ever choose to have an abortion, because it is taking the life of an unborn child. However, I have no right to tell another woman that she cannot have an abortion because I believe it is wrong. It is the choice of the woman, not mine, and she will live with whatever consequences it might bring.
I hate when people say things like "Take away congressional pay and see if things change." If you really understand where our representatives make their money, you would understand that the money that they make from the government is very minimal compared to the money they make from outside sources, or the money that they had before they were representatives. And this salary is certainly minimal when compared to the perks that many politicians receive from lobbyists.
I hate when people vote straight ballot, whether it is republican or democrat. I hate that straight ballot voting is even an option. I wish people would take voting more seriously than that. In this election, I have found that there are several shady democrats, and just as many republicans. If more people took the time to study out the candidates, I think they would be surprised to find that they people they are voting for are not always they people they think they are voting for because of the R or the D next to their name. It is important to study out the issues and to gain an individual opinion. It is important to read up on the issues, from both points of view. Educated voting is the best kind of voting.
I hate living in a state that is so red. I can understand that conservative economics are important in the middle of a recession. But I cannot understand how Utah can continuously vote for people like Gary Herbert or how they are about to vote John Swallow in to office. Governor Herbert has done some seriously shady things while in office. Look at the 1-15 core project, or what is going on in the West Desert. These scandals have not been publicized nearly as much it should be because we live in such a conservative state.
I am tired of people questioning my religious beliefs, my integrity, and my intelligence because I can fathom the idea of voting for a democrat. I am tired of being equated as a clueless entitled citizen who doesn't understand the way government should work. I am annoyed that I get classified as a citizen who just takes advantage of entitlement programs and is probably on food stamps and welfare. To clarify, no I am not on food stamps nor welfare. I did make it through college with the help of Federal and State Aid and I even had a job too. My minor in college was Family and Consumer Science. As part of this, a major focus was socioeconomic status (SES) and that one of the defining factors of political beliefs is education. The more education a person has, (i.e. the more college education) the more likely they are to vote democratic. Many would argue that this is because the education people are receiving in colleges and universities is liberal. I would argue that higher learning tends to teach that we can think outside of the box. Based on the education I received (which was from a public institution in a very conservative state) it is safe to say that I can only recall one professor who let his politics into the classroom (he was from Chicago of course he loves Obama).
The fact that I am a democrat has absolutely nothing to do with my religious beliefs or my integrity. My personal religious beliefs are very conservative, and relate very little if at all to the way I vote. Yes I believe in God. Yes I believe that there is an afterlife. No, I do not believe that God will punish me for being pro-choice. Nowhere in my religious doctrines does it say "VOTE REPUBLICAN OR BE SENT TO HELL YE FOLLOWER OF SATAN." Rather, my religion encourages individuals to vote as they find appropriate. My church chooses not to affiliate itself with a party. They do ask that our political views fall in line with church doctrine. Last time I checked, allowing free agency and the right to choose as you believe is not a violation of any doctrine.
In general, I tend to avoid political conversations with close friends and family,because my views are different. People tend to think less of me if my views differ from theirs. I think it is sad how the way I vote can upset people so much. I think that different views are important in any democracy. They are what makes our government work. By all means, vote the way that you feel is best! Voting is an important right, and a way to express ourselves.
I find it important to vote for so many reasons. Not only do I want my voice to be heard, but I want other voices to be heard as well. We have the capacity to decide the future of our communities based on one ballot!As a woman, I find it my duty to pay homage to those women who fought so hard for decades for Women's Suffrage! How can anyone say that voting is not important? It is our chance to make a difference!!
I know that this whole post seems to be about why democrats are better. That is not really the point I am trying to make. First and foremost, I wanted to explain my point of view and my personal beliefs. Second, I want people to understand that being a democrat does not make you and idiot, it does not mean that you have no religious beliefs, that you lack a moral compass, or that you have no integrity. I certainly do not think republicans are uneducated bigots . It is important for us to respect different views. No one party has all of the right answers. No one party can solve all of America's problems. No one president can fix the economy. To put America on track, it takes respect for others, reaching across party lines, and people working together.
I believe that every individual should be allowed to use their right to choose, rather than the government choosing for us. While I may not personally feel that certain social policies are right, it is not my place to make my beliefs law. For instance, I do not think I would ever choose to have an abortion, because it is taking the life of an unborn child. However, I have no right to tell another woman that she cannot have an abortion because I believe it is wrong. It is the choice of the woman, not mine, and she will live with whatever consequences it might bring.
I hate when people say things like "Take away congressional pay and see if things change." If you really understand where our representatives make their money, you would understand that the money that they make from the government is very minimal compared to the money they make from outside sources, or the money that they had before they were representatives. And this salary is certainly minimal when compared to the perks that many politicians receive from lobbyists.
I hate when people vote straight ballot, whether it is republican or democrat. I hate that straight ballot voting is even an option. I wish people would take voting more seriously than that. In this election, I have found that there are several shady democrats, and just as many republicans. If more people took the time to study out the candidates, I think they would be surprised to find that they people they are voting for are not always they people they think they are voting for because of the R or the D next to their name. It is important to study out the issues and to gain an individual opinion. It is important to read up on the issues, from both points of view. Educated voting is the best kind of voting.
I hate living in a state that is so red. I can understand that conservative economics are important in the middle of a recession. But I cannot understand how Utah can continuously vote for people like Gary Herbert or how they are about to vote John Swallow in to office. Governor Herbert has done some seriously shady things while in office. Look at the 1-15 core project, or what is going on in the West Desert. These scandals have not been publicized nearly as much it should be because we live in such a conservative state.
I am tired of people questioning my religious beliefs, my integrity, and my intelligence because I can fathom the idea of voting for a democrat. I am tired of being equated as a clueless entitled citizen who doesn't understand the way government should work. I am annoyed that I get classified as a citizen who just takes advantage of entitlement programs and is probably on food stamps and welfare. To clarify, no I am not on food stamps nor welfare. I did make it through college with the help of Federal and State Aid and I even had a job too. My minor in college was Family and Consumer Science. As part of this, a major focus was socioeconomic status (SES) and that one of the defining factors of political beliefs is education. The more education a person has, (i.e. the more college education) the more likely they are to vote democratic. Many would argue that this is because the education people are receiving in colleges and universities is liberal. I would argue that higher learning tends to teach that we can think outside of the box. Based on the education I received (which was from a public institution in a very conservative state) it is safe to say that I can only recall one professor who let his politics into the classroom (he was from Chicago of course he loves Obama).
The fact that I am a democrat has absolutely nothing to do with my religious beliefs or my integrity. My personal religious beliefs are very conservative, and relate very little if at all to the way I vote. Yes I believe in God. Yes I believe that there is an afterlife. No, I do not believe that God will punish me for being pro-choice. Nowhere in my religious doctrines does it say "VOTE REPUBLICAN OR BE SENT TO HELL YE FOLLOWER OF SATAN." Rather, my religion encourages individuals to vote as they find appropriate. My church chooses not to affiliate itself with a party. They do ask that our political views fall in line with church doctrine. Last time I checked, allowing free agency and the right to choose as you believe is not a violation of any doctrine.
In general, I tend to avoid political conversations with close friends and family,because my views are different. People tend to think less of me if my views differ from theirs. I think it is sad how the way I vote can upset people so much. I think that different views are important in any democracy. They are what makes our government work. By all means, vote the way that you feel is best! Voting is an important right, and a way to express ourselves.
I find it important to vote for so many reasons. Not only do I want my voice to be heard, but I want other voices to be heard as well. We have the capacity to decide the future of our communities based on one ballot!As a woman, I find it my duty to pay homage to those women who fought so hard for decades for Women's Suffrage! How can anyone say that voting is not important? It is our chance to make a difference!!
I know that this whole post seems to be about why democrats are better. That is not really the point I am trying to make. First and foremost, I wanted to explain my point of view and my personal beliefs. Second, I want people to understand that being a democrat does not make you and idiot, it does not mean that you have no religious beliefs, that you lack a moral compass, or that you have no integrity. I certainly do not think republicans are uneducated bigots . It is important for us to respect different views. No one party has all of the right answers. No one party can solve all of America's problems. No one president can fix the economy. To put America on track, it takes respect for others, reaching across party lines, and people working together.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Reflections
Life has been pretty crazy since my last blog entry. It has been wonderful though. August has always been a weird/kind of sad month for me. I think that is because August is the month when camp end, people move for school, etc. It is so crazy that our first camp season with Jake as the official director is coming to a close. I never realized how much preparation goes in to camp until this year. We work on camp for six months a year, but it is only eight weeks long. It has been an adventure, but I think that this summer has helped me grow a lot. I did not want to come back because of how miserable last summer was, but I have realized that it is all in your attitude and approach that will determine the experience you have. And I am so glad I finally figured it out! It only took me six years of summer camp :)
This summer has been an adventure. It started out as a challenge trying to figure how to entertain Pongo, do my job, and go to school. But I think that staying so busy has helped me enjoy it so much!
Today is my last day of my undergrad. I am panicked. I have no idea what I am going to do with my life. School has been my life for so long. I have actually learned to enjoy it. And now, here I am at the end of it. I always had this picture in my mind of what my life would be like when I finished my degree. Everything was going to be perfect and dandy. I would know what I wanted to do, I would find a job right off the bat. And now here I am. Not a clue what I want to do. Hence panic. I am just lucky that I have Jake who can help me figure out what it is that I should be doing! At the same time that I am panicked, I am so proud of myself. I know that I could have been a better student, I could have worked harder, gotten done faster, and on and on. But at least I have finished. There were so many times that I was fed up, frustrated, and down on myself. I wanted to quit so many times. But I am so glad that I didn't.
In a few weeks, Jake and I are going on our first real vacation together. It only took us three years. I am so excited. Just us! And I love San Diego! I cannot wait. And we will even have a little spending money to help us have a blast.
Life is always changing, and it is just about to get a little more complicated. But at least I can say that I accomplished something that not everyone does :)
This summer has been an adventure. It started out as a challenge trying to figure how to entertain Pongo, do my job, and go to school. But I think that staying so busy has helped me enjoy it so much!
Today is my last day of my undergrad. I am panicked. I have no idea what I am going to do with my life. School has been my life for so long. I have actually learned to enjoy it. And now, here I am at the end of it. I always had this picture in my mind of what my life would be like when I finished my degree. Everything was going to be perfect and dandy. I would know what I wanted to do, I would find a job right off the bat. And now here I am. Not a clue what I want to do. Hence panic. I am just lucky that I have Jake who can help me figure out what it is that I should be doing! At the same time that I am panicked, I am so proud of myself. I know that I could have been a better student, I could have worked harder, gotten done faster, and on and on. But at least I have finished. There were so many times that I was fed up, frustrated, and down on myself. I wanted to quit so many times. But I am so glad that I didn't.
In a few weeks, Jake and I are going on our first real vacation together. It only took us three years. I am so excited. Just us! And I love San Diego! I cannot wait. And we will even have a little spending money to help us have a blast.
Life is always changing, and it is just about to get a little more complicated. But at least I can say that I accomplished something that not everyone does :)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Puppies!
School is my life. Mostly. I am actually kind of sad that I will be done next semester. But I can still enjoy it while it lasts. These pictures are our puppies! We love them! Maggy is not really a puppy (she just turned 13). We got her this cute bat girl costume for Halloween and I thought it was so funny how much she hated it. She figured out how to take it off when we weren't looking. Eventually she gave up.
This is Pongo. We got him last week. He is six months old and is a lab boxer mix (just like Mags). He is so much fun. We love watching him discover new things. He is terrified of other dogs right now. We took him for a walk the other day and a dog started barking at him and he got so scared that he jumped up and fell on his back. Poor Pongo. He is getting used to meeting new people. He barks at everyone that comes through our front door. He loves to play! He likes to pretend to eat my toes. He loves his frisbee and playing soccer with Jake. He also loves to snuggle.It is so fun to have two dogs. It is a lot of work but I love it when they both run up to me with their tails wagging and they just want loves! It makes me so happy!
Jake has been super busy with work right now, so it is good that I have such cute dogs to keep me company. We are super excited to take them both with us to summer camp. Pongo will love it. Maggy will just deal with it. I am actually looking forward to camp this next summer. It is nice that I don't have to wait til April to find out Jake's camp assignment (we found out in August). I am really looking forward to helping Jake put together a program that he wants to have. Plus when camp is over we are going on a real vacation! Yay!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Scout Camp (Again)...
This summer officially marks the fifth summer of scout camping. When I started spending my summers doing this it was really a way to not spend the summer between semesters living at home. And because of that I met my husband...And now five years later he works for the scouts. So it appears that there will never be an end to me working at summer camp. I mean, sure its nice to have the extra money, but its really hard to do this job when my heart isn't in it. I am tired of camp. And it is really sad to go home on Saturday and see our poor yard looking awful. The grass is green and the flowers are growing, but neither Jake or myself have the energy to weed or prune. Its so sad because we worked so hard to get it looking better. But now it has almost gone to waste. I miss our house and everything about being at home. It is making camp extremely difficult.
Even though it is hard for me to be here, I am learning a ton. Jake and I got assigned to this camp kind of late in the game, and neither of us had really been here or knew very many of the staffers. So we are kind of letting them do things their way this summer. Which has been interesting. I am learning a lot about which management tactics are the most successful. Mainly listening to suggestions and following up on promises. I am trying to focus on the boys that come each week so I don't kill anyone up here. Its kind of funny to hang out with 12 year old boys. I am thinking I should probably write down all of the great pickup lines I hear and sell it in a book or something. At any rate, at least they entertain me :)
Even though it is hard for me to be here, I am learning a ton. Jake and I got assigned to this camp kind of late in the game, and neither of us had really been here or knew very many of the staffers. So we are kind of letting them do things their way this summer. Which has been interesting. I am learning a lot about which management tactics are the most successful. Mainly listening to suggestions and following up on promises. I am trying to focus on the boys that come each week so I don't kill anyone up here. Its kind of funny to hang out with 12 year old boys. I am thinking I should probably write down all of the great pickup lines I hear and sell it in a book or something. At any rate, at least they entertain me :)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Moving and such
So its been a long time since my last blogging update. Lots to catch up on. Between the last update and the time we moved, I finished yet another semester of my career. I have officially decided that I fall into the catagory of "career student" because I feel like I have been going to college FOREVER. The semester ended really crazily. I took 18 credits of all upper divison classes this past semester. It was really overwhelming. I was reading close to 500 pages of homework a week and wrote something like 37 papers. But seeing as my worst grade was a B I think I picked the right major for me. And as a reward I only have one final history class to take! I met with my advisor a few weeks ago only to learn that in order to graduate I needed to take STATS 1040 and two science classes and three classes to finish my minor. That means that I have to go to school until next May :( Which is really sad. But I am getting used to the idea. And I really need something to keep me busy.
Since the semester ended, Jacob and I have purchased our first home. It is beautiful and I love it so much. It amazings me that we moved from an apartment was so small to a 2000 sq ft house and its almost all full. I do not know how that worked. But I love it. We are now the proud owners of a washer and dryer, a piano, and a DISHWASHER (that isn't named Jacob). It is funny how to a lot of people this wouldn't be a big deal, but to me...Oh man...Living in luxury. Right after we moved in we had to finish the basement. That was stressful, but its so nice now. So now we have a beautiful 4 bedroom 3 bath home. We don't really use that part of our house, so its just that weird empty part for now, but one day we will find a use for it.
Yard work has been an interesting experience for me. I was fine when Jacob wasn't around to watch me, but the more that he helps the more I realize that I don't have the slightest clue on what to do. I guess that comes from having a dad who loves yard work and wouldn't let me help. But its coming together rather nicely now. The flowers are so pretty and the grass is starting to grow. I pruned all our rose bushes and now they are sitting in a huge six foot-ish by six foot-ish pile until I figure out what to do with them.
In other news Jacob and I just bought a car. We thought that with all our driving we would be doing for work this summer it might be a good idea to invest in something that isn't twenty years old and can take big canyons fairly well. So now we have a Toyota Yarus. Its pretty awesome. I love driving it!
We are getting ready to leave for camp on Sunday. I am pretty torn because we are going to a new camp this summer and both of us have different assignments than ever before. It should be a good adventure and I get to spend so much time with Jacob, but I still think where we are going is nowhere near as cool as where we have been. Its been a pretty stressful week trying to tie up loose ends. Poor Jacob is leaving the office for two months and I cant imagine that is going to be very easy for him to keep up with. I am about to lose my mind praying all of our orders come in on time. And I dont really want to leave my brand new pretty house and my cute dog...Oh well...At least I am making bank this summer. New job title equals a big raise :D.
Since the semester ended, Jacob and I have purchased our first home. It is beautiful and I love it so much. It amazings me that we moved from an apartment was so small to a 2000 sq ft house and its almost all full. I do not know how that worked. But I love it. We are now the proud owners of a washer and dryer, a piano, and a DISHWASHER (that isn't named Jacob). It is funny how to a lot of people this wouldn't be a big deal, but to me...Oh man...Living in luxury. Right after we moved in we had to finish the basement. That was stressful, but its so nice now. So now we have a beautiful 4 bedroom 3 bath home. We don't really use that part of our house, so its just that weird empty part for now, but one day we will find a use for it.
Yard work has been an interesting experience for me. I was fine when Jacob wasn't around to watch me, but the more that he helps the more I realize that I don't have the slightest clue on what to do. I guess that comes from having a dad who loves yard work and wouldn't let me help. But its coming together rather nicely now. The flowers are so pretty and the grass is starting to grow. I pruned all our rose bushes and now they are sitting in a huge six foot-ish by six foot-ish pile until I figure out what to do with them.
In other news Jacob and I just bought a car. We thought that with all our driving we would be doing for work this summer it might be a good idea to invest in something that isn't twenty years old and can take big canyons fairly well. So now we have a Toyota Yarus. Its pretty awesome. I love driving it!
We are getting ready to leave for camp on Sunday. I am pretty torn because we are going to a new camp this summer and both of us have different assignments than ever before. It should be a good adventure and I get to spend so much time with Jacob, but I still think where we are going is nowhere near as cool as where we have been. Its been a pretty stressful week trying to tie up loose ends. Poor Jacob is leaving the office for two months and I cant imagine that is going to be very easy for him to keep up with. I am about to lose my mind praying all of our orders come in on time. And I dont really want to leave my brand new pretty house and my cute dog...Oh well...At least I am making bank this summer. New job title equals a big raise :D.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
House Hunting!
We started house hunting last week because it was my spring break, and it was really the only time i would have for awhile to do some hunting. We were kind of in a rush because our contract in Logan ends on May 15, and knowing how long closing can take we knew we needed to find a house quickly. I swear we looked at dozens of houses, but none of them could compare to the third one we looked at. When we pulled up to that house, I instantly saw potential. Then I went inside, prepared for disappointment like every other house was. But no! I fell in love! It was so bright and sunny and beautiful! Plus the backyard was massive. Jake and I decided to keep looking, but since we really felt like that was the house for us, we called for backup. Jake's parents and my parents came to see the house with us. Needless to say we put in offer in that day. The people that owned the house before us had done one of those government loan things, and when they could no longer make the payments (a really long sad story that I wish I didn't know), the government repossessed the house. Something called HUD. Not sure what that stands for, but basically what happens is the house goes on the market for ten days, and at the end of ten days whoever has the highest offer gets the house. FHA loans can only bid the asking price, but since we are getting a rural housing loan, we could bid higher, so after much discussion, we put in our bid and waited for the bidding to end Monday night.
Tuesday came, I could not focus on anything. I knew that our Realtor would call me sometime in the afternoon, which led to me not being able to focus on anything. When she called I nearly passed out. After she told me we won the bid I nearly tackled my poor brother (who was over for lunch) and started jumping around and calling my husband, parents, and basically any one that wanted to listen to me freak out.
So now we wait to close. We have all our loan stuff processing, and we hope to close at the end of April. Sadly, I have school til the seventh of May (stupid Friday finals). Then we can move in to our beautiful home.
Its so nice and bright. Really spacious. And once upon a time it was a model home, which means the house has lots of extras like a tray ceiling in the master bedroom. I am so excited to move in. I have just about had it with our little 400 square ft apartment. I need more room! But at the same time I love Logan and will miss it forever. But yay! A house. We are so excited to be moving on with our lives!
The front of the house!
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