I have a confession.
I don't want to vote.
It may come as a shock that I'm not the typical Republican Mormon.
But I've never strongly aligned with either party. I have voted for both over the years.
My husband and I rarely talk about politics.
It is something he loves, but he won't engage in a political discussion with me.
It drives me nuts, but mostly I think he's avoiding my mostly "liberal for Mormons" family (yes, most of them are like me-independents)
And so I don't want to vote.
But I feel very obligated to.
I remember feeling four years ago, like I was voting for the "lesser of two evils". I don't want to do that again. I want to feel good about my decision.
And I haven't felt that way about either option yet.
Don't get me wrong. I am a patriotic person. I have pride in our country. I feel very very strongly that once a president is elected, we need to support him. The hatred I see for our elected officials bothers me greatly.
I feel that our current President deserves more time to get us out of the mess that took more than four years to create, and it drives me nuts when people say that he's not done anything.
I am a strong supporter of healthcare change. I have pre-existing conditions. My five year old nephew has pre-existing conditions. Change HAD to happen, and I'm so thankful it did.
My brother slaves away protecting our city as a police officer but before this legislation, they wouldn't insure his son because he has asthma.
I am fearful of going back down a road that created this mess.
My family was personally and strongly affected by the economy. We lost jobs, and we lost a house.
I want change. I want to feel like we can succeed in our dreams.
I want the hope that someday we can own a house again and one day I can be a stay at home mom much more. I need things to improve.
But my heart and my conscience don't know yet who will take us there!
3 comments:
I am just like you Liz. I have no idea who I am going to vote for. 4 years ago I was more certain...for independents (and especially as an independent member of the church) this is a tough one. It is so refreshing to see others are like me. :)
Ugh, I hear you sister. I am leaning Romney, because I don't think that Obama has proven that he can handle our debt crisis which, I think, is probably the biggest issue facing our country's future right now. From what I've read, Romney seems to be better equipped to take on that task, but I have a lot more research to do before November. In the end, it's a roll of the dice, and, like you said, supporting whomever ends up in office!!!
Wow, Liz. I totally respect your honesty in putting this post out there. I can see how you are feeling conflicted too. I hope you cast your ballot on election day...and feel good about your choice, even if it's not who "all the other Mormons are voting for." Just remember, the Church emphasizes it's own political neutrality over and over, year after year. You ARE free to choose whomever you feel is best...and then go VOTE! I for one will still be your friend even if you choose the candidate I didn't.
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