Happy 2nd Tuesday

It's election day. This means two things: 1. You will get no more recorded phone messages from candidates who don't even have the decency to use a human being. 2. The U.S. may be a very different place, politically, by this time tomorrow.

I normally try to avoid the subject of politics on my blog because I try to keep it light and focus on writing and my faith. Yes, my faith plays a huge role in the way I vote, as it should, but I don't expect to convert many Democrats on a blog that attracts about 10 people a day, mostly conservatives. Even the Dems I talk to sound very conservative when we drill down to core issues and values. They want the same things I do: security, a chance to prosper, low taxes, and a place where my kids can grow up without being exposed to the more unsavory elements of our culture (see my entry on Las Vegas).

So what separates us? Well, it's the way we get to our desires. Without getting into details, most Republicans, including myself, feel the government should stay out of the free market (thus keeping it "free") and allow businesses as much freedom as possible to prosper. When they prosper, jobs are created, everyone is happy. Well, not everyone. There will always be those who don't like "unfair" profits to corporations. Here's the thing: the only way to stop that is to have the government intervene. Then you no longer have a free market economy. You have socialism.

Okay, economics aside. The other reason I cannot vote Democrat is their ridiculous alignment with the pro-abortion community. It's the only issue that is literally life and death. I'll choose life, thank you. And, oh, by the way, abortion is a huge business in America. We're talking billions. Now I will start complaining about unfair profits.

Yes, I know all Dems aren't pro-abortion socialists. There are conservatives among them. And I also know that it's not safe to equate the GOP with conservatism any more. I do wish we could expand from the two party system and not feel like we're flushing our votes.

In the meantime, I'll continue to follow God's law as close as possible in the way I live and vote. Jesus commanded us to "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." He never said we'd like the Caesar we have. But He did tell us to love our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. That I can handle. There is no gray area with God.