Most of the focus in this recent election has been on who to vote for. Many are under the impression that both campaigns were personality driven, yet it may come as a surprise that we on the right kept waiting to hear what the Harris / Walz platform was other than not to vote for Trump. And, there was plenty of misinformation being heralded by the media about what a Trump presidency would be like. Kamala, Biden, Obama, and pretty much every other well known politician on the left warned that Trump is the biggest threat to our democracy.
Ok, friends, I’m going to ask you put all of that aside for the rest of this blog, because I’m not here to write about that. Instead, I’m going to try to explain what I voted for and not who.
We voted for the same thing
I know you are going to find this hard to swallow, but I voted for everything the left said it was voting for: individual liberty; women’s rights; the right to believe what I want; the right to not have the government dictate what I can or cannot do (unless it violates someone else’s rights); equal protection under the law; no bullying or discrimination over ethnicity, sex, belief, or sexual preference; the right for women to be able to compete with women; the right to privacy; a secure border; freedom from overregulation and federal overreach; the right to earn a living; and a government that puts the interests of its citizens first.
As a Christian I share many beliefs with those of other faiths. I strongly believe that we should love one another. I believe we need to get rid of our anger and put aside our differences so that we can work together for all the things we have in common. In spite of the efforts of some, all of us — I mean every American — have more in common than our differences and we can live together without having to agree on everything. Your citizenship does not require you to have the same beliefs, wants, tastes, or ideas. In the Declaration of Independence, we read that “all men are created equal.” That equality only applies to our worth and rights to equal justice. It is not a guarantee of equal outcome and does not deny us differences in appearance, preference, taste, belief, station in life, ability, aptitude, intelligence, talent, role, etc. Life itself is diverse, of many colors and hues, multifaceted, and full of variety. All snowflakes are snowflakes yet each is unique. All fingerprints are fingerprints yet each is unique. You might look like someone else and you might have a lot in common with many other people but you are unique. Even identical twins are different people.
None of our differences need ever be a cause for separation unless that difference involves actions that cause or threatens harm to another. We believe in freedom of religion but that doesn’t mean we allow human sacrifice. We believe in the sanctity of life and the right to life, which includes the right to self defense and defense of others. We also believe to deprive someone of their life must always be a last resort. We understand the need for law enforcement because not everyone follows the law. We also believe that those given the authority to enforce the law have a responsibility and obligation to discharge their duties responsibly, without bias or prejudice, and should have to answer for their actions whenever they abuse that authority. That being said, we need to support and assist those who are serving on our behalf, putting themselves in dangers way on a regular basis.
We believe in civility and showing respect of others. We oppose bullying and depriving any one of their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also believe that citizenship is privilege not freely given to everyone, but granted according to our immigration laws. This is not only in respect for those born here and those who have obtained their citizenship, but also for anyone seeking to become a citizen. There is value in being a citizen and there is a proper means to becoming one. It is our right as sovereign individuals this be so.
We believe in charitable giving and helping those in need. As a believer, I strongly believe this must be something given freely and personally, not under duress, by force, or using someone else’s money. As a nation we have been more than generous and regularly give enormous amounts of money in aid to many nations, including our enemies. Whenever there is any disaster, we are the first to give as we can. There is a mistaken notion that the government should have the right to take money from us against our will as long as it’s for a good cause. This is Machiavellian thinking and the biggest problem with it is the lack of transparency. Doing wrong is never right or justified because a bigger power is doing it. We are aware that there are practices in our government that violate this principle but that doesn’t make the principle itself invalid.
In summary, no matter your party or political affiliation, we are all in this together. We may have our differences, but in the end of the day we share a common heritage and a common hope that we can better ourselves and be that shining city on a hill that our forefathers envisioned. Here in El Paso we have an expression, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait awhile and it will change.” No matter who wins our elections, it serves all of us to have such a form of representative government. If we don’t like who gets elected we will have the chance to elect someone else the next election. Our government doesn’t allow anyone to so radically change our government to ever change that. What’s more important is that we never abandon our principles, the ones that have eternal merit, and that we continue to live together as fellow Americans to see our dream come true.