Random Political Thoughts

Voter Registration
There has been talk by some that we don't want to "disenfranchise" voters in the poling place by asking them to verify that they are who they say they are and that they are only going to be able to vote ONE TIME. I don't know who these people are who would be DISENFRANCHISED, but I can tell you this: I took the time IN ADVANCE to register to vote. I voted. I only voted ONCE. I showed my drivers license and my voter registration card when I arrived to vote, and when they walked me over to the electronic ballot box to cast my vote I was GIDDY with excitement and overwhelmed with gratitude that I live in a country where I CAN VOTE freely, privately and ONLY ONE TIME. I left my early voting place doing the happy dance all over the parking lot - Those of you who know me understand what that looks like. My children would have been mortified. But I was so excited that I got my turn and my vote counts.

There is absolutely no reason to be "disenfranchised" - and personally I don't have a clue what that is supposed to mean - by being asked to make sure you are following the law, only registering once (IN ADVANCE so they can verify that you are who you say you are) and only voting once. Be happy to prove you are who you say you are and go pull the lever! JUST DO IT!!!

ACORN - YOU HAVE JUST GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

Undecided Voters
Again - YOU HAVE JUST GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. I can understand if all of the candidates were alike - but they clearly ARE NOT. Who are these undecided voters? How can you be undecided? Here is how I decided.

I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHAT I BELIEVE. I know what I believe about the fundamental issues of life. My beliefs are grounded in my faith in God - The God of the Holy Bible. Its a great book and I would highly recommend that you read.

If you seriously can't figure out who you should vote for - STOP and take some time to figure out what you believe in. Then, the choice will be obvious. At that point you should be able to figure out which candidate or party lines up with your belief. I think there are too many people who are undecided because they are trying to line themselves up with the candidate instead of the other way around. Which candidate fits your belief? Vote for that one.

And if you still can't figure it out, vote for John McCain and we will all be better off in the long run.

What does the Bible Say about Politics?
I'm so glad you asked. I think the Bible has plenty to say about politics or at least a way of seeing the world that we can apply to politics. What we are experiencing today is nothing compared to Israel of New Testament times. Think about this:

• The Jewish people lived in a land occupied by the Roman Empire, and they were waiting for a long promised Messiah/Warrior King to free them from this state of occupation.
• They had to live with the daily cruelties of Roman soldiers who were everywhere all the time.
• They had unreasonable taxation without representation - does that sound familiar from our own American history?
• They had Roman Law and they also had Jewish law to follow and sometimes the laws were diametrically opposed to each other.

Here are two of my favorite Bible stories that I believe you can also apply to politics:

1. Mark 12:14-1: Give to Caesar what is Caesar's - in other words: PAY YOUR TAXES - its Biblical.
2. Mark 5:1-20: This is just my brief synopsis. Jesus entered a village and found a demon possessed man who was so violent that he had to live away from town. They couldn't keep him chained up because he was so violent that he broke the chains. Jesus cast the demons out of the man and they went into a herd of pigs. The pigs ran down a hill and drown in the lake. The man was set free. Here is the Political part: When Jesus cast the demons out and allowed them to go into the pigs - the economic base for the village - he singlehandedly destroyed the economic stability for the village - or at least the economic stability of the people who owned the pigs. Why would he do that? Why would he do anything that would put multiple others at financial risk? After all, that was their livelihood. He did it because he was willing to put people before profits. He cared so much for the one man that he was willing to risked everything - in this case, someon else's profit - to save the one man. I believe the moral of the story and its application to politics today is this: God wants us to put people before profits no matter what that means.

So, when you are trying to figure out who to vote for, ask yourself this: Does this person put people before profits? Whether the issue is abortion, health care, illegal immigration, foreign policy or taxes - What is the effect on the person first.

Lets take care of the PEOPLE. The economy will get better over time.