I am on a search.
I don't think I am asking for too much.
I am searching for a Government that can, with a certain consistency, combine both HEART & SOUL. I am searching for a Government that truly cares about the people it is supposed to represent. I am also seeking a government that has a moral, ethical approach to their task.
Currently I feel I will be looking for a while.
I know what I am about to say is an over-simplification but I will proceed. Consider this. The current popular take on the two ranking political parties in the United States is fascinating. Rightly or wrongly the Republican Party is seen by non-Republicans (and not-a few Republicans) as a political entity that has lost its HEART. They want to draw the line in the sand and say "no more" without compromise or discussion. Among their take-it-or-leave list....
· No more tax increases
· Drastically cut spending at every level of government. Especially on the chopping block are such items as Medicare and Medicaid benefits to Seniors and the disabled of all ages.
· Rescind "Obama-Care", more accurately known as the Health Care and Education Reconciliation bill of 2010.
· Strengthen the military
· Get out of Iraq and Afghanistan - - even though Republican Administrations got us into these messes.
· Get out of Libya & scold the President for getting us involved there in the first place. Does this mean we should heartlessly allow the insane Muammar Gaddafi to violently and mercilessly kill his own people? I'm just asking.
· Cut off dialogue with Labor Unions, especially those representing teachers and other public officials. (Admittedly this is a bit more localized to certain States and cities but it still represents a popular view of the GOP in general.
· Immigration Reform. This in reality means "get rid of all those people who are eating our food, consuming our goods, going to our schools at our expense, and who speak a language we blue-blooded Americans don't know. And by the way, let's make English the official language of this grand Republic." With all their proposed budget cuts I wonder if the Republicans would approve of public money being used to dismantle and remove the Statue of Liberty - - she of "...give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" I mean, think about it. Why should we proudly continue to allow the "Harbor Lady" to stand - - at public expense, mind you - - when she stands against everything we are proposing? I'm just asking.
I'm having too much fun with this so let's not lose the focus here. If the Republicans have lost their HEART, then the Democrats have surely lost their SOUL!
Traditionally the Democratic Party has had fair success positioning itself as the spokesman for the working class (hence the symbol of the donkey, a true beast of burden) and the guardian of the disenfranchised. This is the Party of the New Deal and the Great Society. Yet for all their 'do-good" imagery this is the party that has generally distanced itself from any outward affiliation with religion. In particular the Democrats tend to alienate themselves from Evangelical Christianity. The general perception is that Democrats...
· Are in the pocket of the Labor Unions and the ACLU
· Are anti-small business
· View things through large, social glasses and somehow fail to represent small, personal concerns.
· Can be summarized by the phrase "Tax-And-Spend".
· Are secular in their world view.
· In spite of their "big government" reputation this group tends to be seen as less supportive of the military, the defense budget, and Veteran's affairs.
In the interest of fairness and accuracy I should probably go on record as saying there is both an element of truth in each of the above characterizations - - for both Parties - - as well as a degree of distortion.
I should also break my own personal tradition of refusing to disclose my political affiliation by declaring here and now that I am not a Republican. Nor am I a Democrat. While I was a Pastor I have always felt it necessary to remain politically neutral and I made every effort not to reveal my voter registration. That got me in trouble on more than one occasion but increasingly so in recent years. With the passionate polarization of politics in this country during the past couple decades remaining neutral is increasingly difficult. I have had rumors spread about who I voted for in national elections and how I sold my soul to the godless Liberals who were determined to take away our religious freedoms. None of the rumors I was made aware of were true.
Nevertheless I am now willing to come out of the closet and declare that I have never registered with any political party. While they both have certain platform elements that I support, they all have huge contradictions and inconsistencies that I abhor. Therefore, I am and always have been a registered non-partisan or independent voter, depending on the State where I lived and their label. You see, I can't even find a minor political party that I agree with enough to hitch my name to. So I remain independent. As such, I feel I also have greater freedom to critique any and all politicians along with their policies.
And in the midst of it all I continue to search for the HEART AND SOUL of our beloved nation. I not only believe that it is possible to combine compassion and Christianity in politics, I feel it is absolutely vital to do so. We are compelled to provide care for those who cannot provide it for themselves. It is the Jesus way of living. We must never turn our backs on the disabled, the children, the single parent, the homeless, the seniors who truly have run out of their financial means of support and the mental and/or physical capacity to make healthy, wholesome choices for themselves. It is also essential that we demand a more just and peaceful world. This includes our approach to the military, our international relationships, and the environment.
In the final analysis it will only be possible to do any of these things when we put Jesus first in our lives and allow him to dictate to us where our commitments and our values must lie. A popular slogan that is gaining some momentum these days is "What Would Jesus Cut?". The question is asked in the face of the absurd budget cut discussions that so dominate and paralyze every layer of public life, from local school boards, to city councils, to State legislative chambers, to Capitol Hill, to the While House and even to U. S. Supreme Court.
It is also asked in challenge to the ever-increasing political canyon that is dividing this nation and stirring the fires of finality for us all.
It is a daunting task and I have no illusions of making any positive impact on any of this. Still, for now I remain IN SEARCH OF...THE HEART AND SOUL OF AMERICA!
Doug Gehr is an Ordained Minister and an advocate
for the Disabled Community as well as for issues of peace and justice.
Please feel free to post comments below.
June 22, 2011
