I wrote this post when I was in Erie—before I knew my husband was laid—off. So sentence one is not technically true, but I’m going with it anyway. Also, if I had any chance of getting the assistant to the news producer at our local Fox station job that I applied for this probably won’t help—but it’s a long-shot anyway!
I have been all about the light-hearted, slice-of-life post of late, but not today. It has probably been for the best that I’ve had Danger Boy’s college visits and my desire to get out and explore rather than be inside glued to a computer for a few days. Because the news I am catching is making me quite discouraged.
I think my cred as a bleeding heart liberal is solid—and I own my views. I live my life in a way that I describe as personally conservative, but socially liberal. That is if you looked at my day-to-day life some of the terms you would use to describe me would be “family values,” “hard-working,” “personal responsibility,” “no excuses,” “fiscally conservative.”
I am also nothing if not pragmatic.
To me the best way to support family values is to support the average citizen. Pay a fair wage, provide health care, access to quality education. Therefore, I consider any programs that value corporations over people—Wall Street over Main Street—to be anti-family.
Threatening to cut off unemployment benefits if tax-cuts for the very wealthiest Americans (proven to do nothing to stimulate the overall economy)? Anti-family.
Cuts to Medic-Aid? Very anti-family. It is not a family value to let people lose family members because of access to healthcare.
Gutting financial aid for college students? I’m not seeing how that benefits families in any way.
I’m as pro-choice a woman as you will find anywhere. But nobody “likes” abortion. How best to prevent a woman from needing an abortion? Access to family planning services. Like the services that an organization like Planned Parenthood provides. How does cutting their funding make any sense whatsoever if your end game is fewer abortions?
The union-busting business? Look, I don’t think unions are perfect—but life before unions was even less perfect. Do we need change? I think so. But to throw out the baby with the bathwater makes no sense whatsoever. I’m going to say that being completely anti-union is pretty un-American. And strong arm tactics that pit the government against it’s own citizens? Totally un-American. Yes, Tea Partiers, I’m calling you unpatriotic.
The rising divide in this country between the rich and the poor (helped along, it seems to me, by the poor themselves) is a terrible thing for America. It’s a terrible thing for families.
I’m also open about not being religious—but when I hear some of the self-appointed, conservative, right-wing, “real” Americans morality & family values police espousing policies that seem very anti-family to me, I wonder if they ever ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” Because the answer to me seems quite clear; he wouldn’t do what they’re doing.