Usually, I can understand why the other side is doing what it’s doing, even if I don’t agree.
I understand that pro-lifers put the life of a fetus above everything else, even above the fact that the outlawing of abortion has historically been correlated with higher rates of abortion. I don’t think most pro-lifers are evil (the ones who would murder for it are)–I just wish they would put their energy into assuring that women have access to good birth control and sex education and that the babies who are born are born with good health care etc., since I find it SO problematic when lifers are fine with letting babies, but not fetuses, die.
I get the fiscal libertarian view, which is: “this is my money, don’t touch it. You and your child can go die in that ditch, there, no–that’s my ditch–THAT ditch over there–the one off my property.” I do think it’s evil, but I get it.
I get why the Republican leadership are against Obamacare. It’s because they’re on the side of business. They want the insurance company to have the freedom to spend as much of their profit on their shareholders and paperwork as they want (Obama wants them to use it on patients). They want the insurance company to have the freedom to not insure me, to turn me down for procedures, to drop me when I get too expensive. They tell me they don’t want the government to get between me and my doctor–that’s the insurance company’s job!!! I get it.
But I don’t get the shut down.
The law passed.
We elected the guy. Twice.
When W got elected the second time (the first time, really), he said he had a mandate and that he was going to use it.
Republicans ignored the law and the mandate and sued, and the Supreme Court said sorry, and so here we are.
I’m trying to imagine applying this logic to my life. There’s A bill I don’t want to pay. So I don’t pay any of them. And I tell the people I owe money to that it’s what they want and that it’s for their own good. It’s for their freedom!
I think I’d get locked up. I would at least get sued and kicked out of my house and a bunch of my shit would stop working. Republicans are half complaining that national parks are closed and half crowing that only the national parks are closed (not true–lots of things are affected–but they haven’t decided on just one message here).
And I can’t get my head around it. When I hear people say we need to find a compromise with these people, I scream, “No, we don’t!” or “What compromise?”
And this is how America becomes divided.
As you know Karma, I am a raging, red blooded Republican (I’m letting that W comment slide for now.) And yet, I too have a problem with people who are Pro-Birth, but definitely not Pro-Life. I deal with them a lot, like a lot a lot times infinity. I spend the majority of my time around very “conservative” Republicans. Their dichotomous views of pre-birth and post-birth support makes me want to shake someone.
If I ruled the world, all the babies conceived would be born. However, my personal philosophy is that if we want women to choose life, then we must make having the baby the most attractive option. And, gasp, some of that is going to cost money, tax payer money. If we are going to ask women to choose life, as a society we’ve made a promise to support that life and to help get that woman started in motherhood on the right foot. Not forever, but especially at the beginning.
Also, we should support and advocate for adoption. There are so many couples (or even single folks) who want nothing more than to raise a child. But I won’t get on my soap box about adoption or might just be typing all night.
See Karma. We’re not all as divided as you might think.
I know, Kris; I just wish more were like you.