In another post, one of our newer participants, the faithful dissident, suggested that we all introduce ourselves. So please, take this opportunity to do just that. Tell us all where you came from, how you arrived at (and what has informed) your political ideology, how you feel it relates to your membership (or lack thereof) in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and what you think the world should look like.
Instead of our usual long-winded conversations, let's make this a one-hit-per-head-banger thread (movie reference, anyone?) - just introduce yourself and let the next person go.
I'll go first.
I'm Dave, husband to The Wizzle, and father of two (third to be arriving in September). I am a professional geek (I'm in technology consulting) and amateur (semi-professional?) musician. I love my family, basketball, the automobile, and politics. I am currently pursuing a BA in Political Science from Arizona State University. I was born to goodly, if staunchly conservative :P parents in Provo, Utah in 1981 (the second of six children), and moved to Arizona in 1990. My family has always been very active in the Church, and less so in politics.
I was a rather contrary lad as a teenager, and I lost my way somewhat with the Church for a period of several years. I did not serve a mission, and have since come to enormously regret that decision. However, the Wizzle and I dated during that time period and married in the Mesa, Arizona Temple when we were both 20. I have a wonderful wife and 2.9 (and counting) happy and beautiful children, so I can't say I would change my decision. Actually, that last 9/10ths of a kid may be neither be happy nor beautiful ... but I'm hoping for both. :)
My political awakening began in the last couple years of high school, particularly when I took a political quiz that, much to my surprise, pegged me solidly left of center. I previously had no idea that I was a liberal, but was pleased with the result as it was contrary (there's that word again) to my parents' ideology.
Over time I attempted to learn everything I could about the Constitution, American history, and the problems of society, and came to embrace liberalism as being able to provide the best solutions to the country's problems.
I will be the first one to admit I am a child of relative privilege. I'm a white male raised in a loving, relatively affluent, two-parent home in suburbia, taught to be a good person and work hard for what I want. I wasn't given everything on a silver platter (I had to earn a scholarship to go to college, get a job to buy a car, etc.), but I realize that my privileged existence is the exception, not the rule.
I see it as the purpose of government to provide each and every citizen the opportunity to improve his/her quality of life, and second, to provide a minimum standard of living for those that cannot (or in the case of the very few, will not) take advantage of those opportunities. As Ted Kennedy spoke last night, I believe decent, quality health care should be a fundamental right of all, not a privilege of the few. I believe that maxim also applies to education and living in a clean environment.
But I am also a firm believer in capitalism. College economics courses have really refined my perspective on capitalism. I believe that competitive markets, given adequate oversight, will produce socially optimal results. Instead of a tax on a socially undesirable activity, the government should create an incentive for businesses and individuals to change. And sometimes, the correct answer is deregulation as opposed to regulation. But I do believe that the government has a responsibility to ensure that corporations are socially responsible and provide adequate protections for the labor force and the environment. I reject the notion that what is best for business is best for America; I believe that what is best for Americans is best for America.
There is an old saying that goes something like, "if you aren't liberal when you're young, you're boring; if you're not conservative when you're old, you're stupid". I don't think I will ever call myself politically conservative, and I don't think that makes me stupid (on the contrary, actually), but I do believe both sides have valid points on most issues. More than anything I am a pragmatist and a realist, and practical solutions often require compromise. So maybe slightly left of center is a good place to be. :)
Introduce yourself!
Posted by big.bald.dave on 8/26/2008
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I was born in '78, the first of 5 kids (and the only girl) in Canada in a small town bordering Michigan. My dad is Canadian and my mom Mexican. Mom grew up Catholic, poor and 1 of 10 kids in Mexico City but converted to LDS as a teenager along with the whole family. Several of her siblings have since emigrated to the US, so I have tons of relatives there. Dad joined the Church about a year after they married and both are strong, active members, as are my brothers, with the exception of one. I had a pretty normal, uneventful childhood, nothing I can really complain about. :)
I never liked school because in some ways I'm not a very structured person. I love to learn and I'm curious about many, many things (I'm a news junkie and I like to read a lot about pretty much anything). I just hate the school setting. I did however enjoy studying languages at school and pursued them further through self-study and travel. I studied Travel and Tourism in college, which I thought would go well with my languages. My first language is English and I speak fluent German, French, Norwegian, and I can bluff my way through some Spanish (my biggest regret is that I didn't learn Spanish -- but it's never too late). In my last year of high school, I won a German contest which took me to Munich for a summer course, where I met my future husband (Norwegian). After years of writing to each other and making overseas trips to visit each other, we got married in Canada in 2002 and I then moved to Norway. My husband and I spoke only German to each other the first years, but now it's a mixture of German-Norwegian-English. I love Norway, but I miss my family and it's a challenge to stay strong in the Church here. My branch has about 15 active members, mostly over age 60. My husband is not a member but is very supportive and sometimes attends church with me.
We have 4 furry feline children, but no human ones. My husband would like to soon add a canine to the mix. We're both animal enthusiasts, vegetarians, and do what we can to help with animal causes locally and abroad. We're also interested in human causes and are considering international adoption someday in the future. I'm also interested in environmental and ethical matters.
My hobbies include running, hiking, travelling, reading, cooking, blogging (obviously :) and music. I couldn't read a note or play an instrument to save my life, but I love music, all different genres, my current favourite being Coldplay. I mostly like to read books about religion, but I'll read anything that's enlightening. One of the most enjoyable books I've read recently was "A Thousand Splendid Suns." I'm also a huge Harry Potter fan, one of my cats is named Severus.
Since I didn't enjoy working in the travel or hotel industry back home, I decided to try something new in Norway and once I learned the language, I got a job in the dementia ward of the local nursing home. It's a real challenge at times and can be very mentally draining, but I generally enjoy it. The best way to sum up my job is that I make sure that the old people don't kill themselves, each other, or me.
I've always followed politics since about age 10, particularly US politics. The thing that I find fascinating about it is how politics, religion and ethics are so intertwined, which makes it complicated, controversial and fascinating. When I was younger, I was actually very conservative when it came to social issues, but I've taken a left turn in recent years. I never used to think much about labelling myself politically (I said for many years that I was sitting on the fence between liberalism and conservatism), but Social Democrat best describes me. Being Canadian, I've always pretty much agreed with the socialist structure without ever really defining my views. Once I came to Norway, which you can call a sort of modern-capitalist-socialist heaven, I'm definitely "sold." I love how the system is set up here, despite its flaws, and I strongly believe in responsible gov't providing a minimum standard of living for everyone, which includes health care and other social benefits, while still upholding economic capitalism. I feel that this guaranteed minimum standard for all is what contributes to a safe, peaceful, productive society where the class differences, which still exist somewhat, are much less evident and the gap much less pronounced. I also believe that providing this minimum standard via taxes and responsible gov't results in more charity money going to where it's needed most: third world countries, disasters and poverty across the globe.
I consider myself a liberal Mormon, in case you wondered about my name. :) I don't think I'm much of a true dissident, but I do ask a lot of questions and am not one to conform just for the sake of conformity. I love the Church and live the Gospel the best I can, but I struggle to understand and accept a lot of doctrines and policies. I enjoy the challenge of being different both inside and outside of the Church.
So, that's FD in a nutshell. :)
So, I'm from Mesa Arizona - Grew up very LDS - youngest of 10 Children. My parents, obviously, were very protective and I didn't really get alot of exposure to the world, or to other ways of thought at all, growing up. Mesa has lots of LDS people, and much of my high school was surrounded by LDS people (B.B.D, Wizzle, Mike, MATT, Amy...just to name a few :) I was Republican upon turing 18 because those around me were republican. I went on a mission, because everyone around me was going on a mission, and that is "just what you do." Its not that I didn't think for myself, just that I didn't understand the reality and diversity of the world.
Serving a mission in Philadelphia really opened my eyes. I basically split my time between North/West Philly and the abosulutely opposite Mennonite territory of Reading PA. In Inner city Philly, I really got suffering, poverty and true hopelessness for the first time - I also started to understand other people's religious approach.
When I got back, I married to another girl from our High School, Aileena. She is a free spirit, and helped me open up and become open to ideas from all over.
We went to BYU and I majored in History, with a focus on Classics and Religion of the Ancient Mediteranian World. The plan was to go to Grad School in Biblical Studies. But In studying history and religion, and in my own developing hobbies - environmentalism, cultural studies, vegitarianism, and physical fitness - I came to alot of new ideas to strenghten and augment my understanding of my traditional LDS upbringing.
Since then, I've spent a year in Japan, some time in Europe, Most of another year in Provo, and now I'm in Korea. Through Reading about and trying to experience religion, I've developed, over the years, a real strong love for Buddhism, Hinduism, and Mystical religions of all types. I have come to love the Prophet Joseph Smith even more through this study, and feel that LDS doctrine can work almost hand in Hand with many of the religious ideals I've come to love.
I've developed into an admitted idealist. I use the writings of Thomas Moore, Gandhi, Tolstoy, Emmerson, Thoreau, C.G. Jung, and John Lennon as almost gospel - I find alot of truth in them - as I find alot of merit and truth in a social-democratic approach to politics.
I don't really like politics - in fact, when Mike asked me to contribute to this Blog in January, I wasn't to keen, because I'd been avoiding politics - because I think it brings out the worst in people very often. But posting and thinking about politics has expanded my understanding in that area, and it's become something much more important to me than it had been previously.
My wife and I have no kids and have been married almost 6 years. We'd like to have 1 or two kids eventually, and also adopt children from abroad in the future - but we aren't in a hurry -I'm preparing now to attend grad school in about 1 year (when I'm done in Korea) in Jungian Depth Psychology.
Religiously, politically, and Idealogically, I don't line up very closely with many members of the Church - But I find alot of value in being true to yourself and true to God. With all my change and self discovery since my mission, I continue to identify myself as LDS and continue to value my growing testimony of the Gospel.
That's me.
I'm just being lazy here, but I'm just going to copy and paste from my first blog entry:
Blog description:
THOUGHTS FROM THE MIND AND EXPERIENCES OF A 26 YEAR OLD, RELIGIOUS LEFTIST. SON OF AN IMMIGRANT FATHER, FORMERLY AGNOSTIC AND RAISED LIKE AN AMERICAN GYPSY, RISING FROM ABJECT POVERTY TO THE LOWER MIDDLE-CLASS, DELVING INTO A LIFE OF CRIME AND SELF DESTRUCTION AND EVENTUALLY FINDING FAITH, AND TRYING TO FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN FAITH, REASON, AND CONSCIENCE.
Now for the description of my blog. In it, I state that I am the son of an immigrant father. This is true. My father, the youngest of 11 siblings, came here when he was 16 from the Azores Islands along with his parents. Eight of his siblings came to the U.S. prior to him and my grandparents.
I would have also mentioned my mom in the description, but it's much harder to say she's a red-headed Okie from southern California without it sounding bad. She is in fact an Okie though. In California, Okie has become synonymous with white trash, since California residents didn't like the idea of poor Oklahoma farmers coming into the state during the Great Depression. The stereotypes of an Okie could apply to my mothers side of the family however. The majority of them are addicted to some substance, whether it be alcohol or drugs, and live in poverty, which means mobile homes, thrift store styles and long criminal records.
I also describe myself as being raised as an American Gypsy. This is certainly true as well, although I have no gypsy family members that I am aware of. Since I was born, I have lived in over 15 different places (not including my mission). I attended 9 different elementary schools, but changed schools 13 different times (in other words, I moved away and came back to the same schools several times). I have lived in California, Nevada, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. Most of my childhood was spent in the Flathead Lake region of Montana, mostly the Kalispell area, but also on the other side of the Lake on the Indian reservation. During these travels with my mother and my two siblings, we lived in trailers, mobile homes, cars, apartments, and sometimes even large houses, usually depending on if my mom was dating someone or not, and whether they were well off or dirt poor.
This also ties into my saying I grew up on abject poverty. As I mentioned, my housing fluctuated, but living in a place meant to be a permanent residence was certainly not the rule. My mom held two jobs usually, but we ate food given to us by the food bank, or served at soup kitchens. My clothing often came from thrift stores or from gifts I received from others on my birthday or Christmas.
When I was 12 I moved to California to live with my dad. This is where my delving into crime occurred. Since my dad lived in the barrio, I quickly became friends with gang members. I spent my time with them, getting arrested here and there and worrying my dad to death with phone calls from school and reports of me being shot at. What eventually got me out of all that atmosphere was an arrest for burglary my freshman year. In the process, suspicions were spread that I had "snitched" and I quickly disassociated myself from my former friends, mostly out of fear of my safety.
By my second year of high school, I had gathered another group of friends, but my old ways carried over. I continued to do and sell drugs, which created a bizarre social network that included skinheads, drop outs and other such misfits, as well as my core group of friends from similar backgrounds as myself.
Eventually this social network brought me in contact with my wife, who at the time was the rebellious stoner child in an otherwise active Mormon family. After dating for several years, and maturing in the process, she introduced me to the idea of reading the Book of Mormon. I had recently read the Bible after getting tired of people telling me what the Bible supposedly had to say about various issues. This new found interest in reading religious texts, as well as our frequent discussions in which I ranted about the hypocrisy of religion, gave her the opportunity to make the offer.
I read the book, and after being extremely impressed by King Benjamin's address, in which he addressed such issues as poverty, paid ministers, etc (issues I frequently found religion to be hypocritical on) I decided to keep learning. I read the Doctrine and Covenants, and when finished went on to read several Church History books, and doctrinal books.
Three years later, while on lunch break from jury duty, I came across a missionary booth at the farmer's market that was set up across from the court house. When the missionaries learned that I had read all their scriptures, they immediately set an appointment to come teach me. Two weeks later I was baptized, which created the tension at my parents home that soon led to me getting kicked out. I moved in with a family in my ward, and a year later, at the age of 23, I left on a mission to Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.
It was while on my mission that my political ideologies cemented themselves. Previous to becoming a member of the Church, I had delved into socialism. After becoming a member however, I found my views to be severely despised by most other Mormons (which I found contradictory to the aspects of the gospel that had first interested me). I didn't dare voice my opinions. Once on my mission I found that my experiences living in poverty, and my mothers circumstances while I was growing up, were not unique, I began to be drawn more towards the left. On my return from the midwest, I had decided that my convictions were worth voicing, and I have been educating myself on the issues as well as how I can truly help ever since.
When I returned home, I began reading voraciously. I read Karl Marx and George Orwell form the left, and Ayn Rand and Adam Smith and Milton Friedman from the right. I read Church history books, and doctrinal writings from early Church history, as well as dived into current events, listening to the most objective sources I could find. While in my car I listened to National Public Radio, and watched PBS Frontline documentaries when I could, favoring those to others because of the two sides they present in their coverage. I went back to school and studied political science, history, and mass media. What I found was that my experiences and views were not new, in fact they were written about long before I had formed them, it just took some piecing together to see the big picture, and I tend to have a more LDS perspective.
Currently I am attending community college working to transfer to San Francisco State where I will be studying journalism. I hope to then move on to graduate school, where I can get a degree and teach at the university level. I'm also working graveyard shift, which is why you may notice I post during the wee hours of the morning.
So there you have it, me and my history summed up in the shortest possible way. And here I am, trying to find the balance between faith, reason and conscience.
Oh, and yes, my wife became active while I was on my mission. I returned, we dated again, and got married! =)
Yay for David! You and Rachel and my brother and his boyfriend (yeah I said it, lol) are my only real links to Democratic viewpoints coming from people that I don't dislike :)
Thank you. It is neat to hear about where the rest of you come from and how you have formed your ideas. I invite anyone who is reading this, frequent commenter or not, to share a bit that would help us get to know why you “vote” the way you do.
In the interest of security, I don’t want to divulge too much information. :) My educational goals were formed from watching my mother’s experience. She went to school for three years before marrying my dad, did one hard semester while pregnant with me and then dropped out with one semester left to go. It wasn’t just the pregnancy – my dad decided that he didn’t like BYU and wanted to go somewhere else. They had 6 kids and bought a bit of a fixer-upper in a nice neighborhood with good schools that they really couldn’t afford. We were very house-poor. My mom cried when a jar of PB broke. My dad left when I was 14 (the youngest was 2) and we were really house-poor because the child support barely covered the mortgage. We got help from the church, food from the Bishop’s storehouse, lots of help from my uncles. In high school, I wondered how we would all survive and how any of us would make it through college. Now that the youngest just graduated from high school, 3 of us have Masters Degrees and 3 more are in school this fall, I look back in amazement that we are making it.
I figured out really quick that if I wanted anything in life, I needed to get out there and earn it. I always had a job. I really wanted to go to BYU and knew that my family couldn’t help me get there, so I worked hard in school and did lots of extra-curricular activities and spent my whole senior year applying for scholarships. I got enough to pay for all of my first year, and was able to renew a lot and get more and made it through all of my years of school on scholarships (and pell grants). I knew that I wanted to get married and be a stay-at-home mom, but I also knew that I didn’t want to drop out of school, so I took extra credits and went to school in the summers and graduated with my BS in three years. I was preparing for a mission when I met my husband and decided he was just too good of a catch to risk by going on a mission, so we got married that summer, and I started my MBA two weeks after marriage. I graduated with my MBA seven months pregnant and have been a SAHM while my husband went through graduate school to earn his PhD. He graduated about 3 years ago. We have four sons. My “blessings” are also my biggest “trials”. I love my kids, but it is hard work taking care of them.
In high school, my motto was Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” I was scared about the future and scared about what was going to happen to my family, but I had faith that if we loved God and put him first, things would work out. Toward the end of my MBA, when my life was going as planned and things were looking good, I had serious decisions to make about what to do with my life. I had planned to be a SAHM, but I also had a lot of good job offers, and it was hard to decide if I really should stay at home (and be poor for ANOTHER 5-6 years – I never really knew anything but poor), or if I should accept a job offer and use child care. My husband was very supportive either way. The scripture Matthew 6:33 gave me my answer and has been my motto ever since: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
It has worked out well so far. The thing about being poor for so long is that I don’t really want to do it again. But, the thing about being poor for so long is that I know I can be poor and happy. I am not too into material things. I just want to provide a good childhood for my children full of happiness and rich experiences and be able to serve missions and take care of our needs when we get older. Fortunately, my husband has the same goals.
I am a relative newcomer to the political scene. At 18, I remember thinking I wanted to be a liberal because all the old, stuffy people were conservative, and I was too “cool” for that. President Clinton won re-election when I was in college, and I remember being disappointed because I didn’t care for him much. We had just moved to Texas, and I had just had my first baby when Bush was elected. I wanted him to win (I dislike Gore immensely) and stayed up all night waiting. That was a waste!
I started getting more into politics after that. I haven’t ever sat down and read the historical difference between Republicans and Democrats or the philosophical differences. I just watch the news a lot (now read the news since we got rid of our t.v.) and stay abreast of political issues. I know what resonates with me and what doesn’t. I’ve just never really been impressed with the Democratic party or any of its politicians. The things the Republicans say and stand for make more sense to me, although I am not a staunch Republican. (I voted for an Independent for Texas Governor because I hate Governor Perry). I am still figuring things out, but the more I figure out, the more conservative I realize I am. It’s a happy place to be. :)
I'm Anonymous David. I was born in Los Angeles in, um, let's just say "around midcentury" and leave it at that. Since 1980 I've lived in the rural West (in an area with a significant LDS population) and I still love it. Built my own house here (from the ground up, no power tools) and feel pretty deeply rooted.
In part my political philosophy owes to growing up in smoggy LA. (The smog was worse then than it is now, and it's still plenty bad now.) I was a pretty active kid, and by the end of some days my lungs would really hurt from the smog. It struck me then, and strikes me even more forcefully now, that it's absolute insanity to raise children in such a polluted environment.
The Boy Scouts introduced me to the stunningly beautiful wilderness of the High Sierra, where I still go backpacking every summer. The smog and the mountains combined to make me an environmentalist.
My mother was a heavy smoker who got hooked as a teenager. She tried many times to quit (later in life, this was usually at the beseeching of her six children), but she finally died painfully of lung cancer at the age of 53. By that time I was well aware of the devious ways that tobacco companies had developed to market cigarettes to insecure teenagers like my mom, and among many other things, her death drove home to me the essential amorality of corporate capitalism. Thinking through the implications of that helped make me a political liberal. To the deregulation-happy corporate apologist I say, "If you want the benefits of incorporation, then you accept regulation by the government that confers those benefits. End of story. Sure, maybe you're a good person as an individual, but we know from experience that, left to its own devices, your company will stop at nothing to make a buck. Probably kill your own mother. One of 'em--Phillip Morris--killed mine."
Several things led to my agnosticism. Probably most important was simply studying the Bible. I still remember when I finally "got" the Book of Joshua, with its clear portrayal of God as a tribal partisan and genocidal monster. I've never recovered from it and doubt that I ever will. Also important in alienating me from religion was my reading as a young adult about the history of Zionism and the dispossession of the Palestinian people. The contrast between the actual history and the propaganda I'd been fed in Sunday school finished off whatever faith I might have had left. Religion has tremendous potential for good, and often delivers on that potential. It also has tremendous potential for evil, and often delivers on that as well. Most of Hitler's obediently genocidal Germans were good little Christians, which for awhile I found hard to understand--until I read up on Martin Luther!
For many years now I've been a literature teacher. (Ironically enough, one of the courses I teach is the Bible as literature.)
What should the world look like? Like Isaiah 2:4.
--David
Well, I've been waiting for 4 days now (?) for a stretch of uninterrupted time long enough to write my introduction, and I think I've just stumbled upon it so here goes. :)
I'm Rachel, Reluctant Democrat™ and not-very-political political blogger. The interest that I take in political dealings is born from a love for people and wanting to understand them and what makes them tick. I don't post as much here as I originally hoped/thought I would, but I read faithfully and I (almost) never get tired of hearing people defend their positions and offer their insights on why they think the way they do. Fascinating.
I don't know how definitely I am a liberal, but I am definitely a "bleeding heart". I think the role of government should be to help make everyone's lives better. Now, how that should actually *practically* be accomplished I am not always sure, but my initial reaction tends to be one of favoring the Little Guy. I have never identified as conservative, but as I get older and learn more about economics (secondhand, since my husband gets to finish college first!) I find there are good ideas to be found everywhere you look.
I'm 27 years old, a musician and mother of aaaaaalllllmost 3, a boy and 2 girls, one due in 3 weeks. I try to live a deliberate life - not trying to pinch Thoreau's words, but that's the best way I can think to describe it. A lot of my duties are mundane, but I try to do them the very best that I can, and make every choice one that will benefit me, my family, and the world. I am as shocked as anyone at how much I love being a stay at home mother and taking care of my family. It's rebellion in a whole new way, I guess. :)
I am Matt, 28 years old and the third of seven children. My parents have been conservative all my life helping to shape my views. I look up to my dad in that he is very level headed politically being very involved closely in the city of Mesa.
My political interest began in high school in the young Republicans club, I even went to see Bob Dole at 4am when he came to town.
Serving a mission in the philippines helped to open my eyes to the world. I saw the poorest of poor. But I also saw the happiness self reliance brings. There is absolutely no government help over there.
When Ankarlo (talk radio host)came to town about 1.5 years ago I regained an interest in politics. (I must be getting old when I listen to talk radio over music:).
This site has also helped me open my eyes and see things from other points of view. I have also learned to tame my need to debate, a little anyway.
I am married to Amy (not the one on this site) whom I drive crazy when I come on this site:) We have two girls. Hallie 2yrs and Abby 9 months. I have gotten my wife into politics a little which has been fun.
I am a recent follower of this Blog, and was pointed to this post to get background information on some of the participants. I thought I would share some about myself also.
I am third of six, born ’72 to two wonderful parents in the SF bay area. My dad is 13 years my mom senior, he was born in Minnesota and she in Idaho. My paternal grandfather joined the church after his first wife died and met my grandmother in Utah and took her back to the farm. My Mothers family joined the church in the 1880s and came across the plains on the railroad. Both of my parents served missions my father to Canada where his family was from, since 1640 something. My Mom went to Denmark where her family came from. I guess I could have said mine was a strong LDS family but think details are interesting I served my mission in the Ohio Columbus mission. I would categorize myself as a strong member of the church.
I am an Electrical Engineer by education and design chips for GPS devices by profession. I graduated from Utah State University, no offense you cougars but I had no interest in attending BYU. I met and married my wife there and she finished her MBA while waiting for me to finish my BS. We moved back to CA in ’97 and have lived here ever since. I received my masters from Stanford after a couple of years of working and am glad to say I am done with school. We have 3 children 2 girls and a little boy.
My interests are hiking, camping, reading for fun, visiting to see family, working with my hands. I spend most of my time working, playing with the kids and doing my church calling. I was a scout master for a couple of years and enjoyed that a lot. I have been to every state of the union except for Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, North and South Carolina. I like seeing new places and learning about the local history. I have been to Europe once and would like to go back, 10 days for France and England hardly covered the continent.
My political leanings are definite on the conservative side though I am continually disappointed by the people I vote for. I watched an hour of the republican platform convention and thought wow if a candidate really stood for all that I would be excited. Hot topics for me are what you would expect, Abortion, Balance Budget, Education, Limited Government, National Defense, Taxes. I am not a student of politics so my opinions tend to be simple, I like to learn but am not inclined to go and read a bunch of books. My dad is a conspiracy theorist and sends me interesting books occasionally but I rarely have time to read them. Did you know the Muslims are going to procreate their way to world domination? Look out Europe!!!
I am happy to answer any other questions if anyone cares to learn more.
Oh yes since it is a current issue I worked on both Prop 22 in 2000 and Prop 8 this year.
Thanks, Ruel. And welcome to the blog.
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