Let's Talk Politics

Last week I was in the middle of a debate about deregulation. When I say in the middle, I mean physically in the middle between the two people having the debate. Political issues rarely interest me and I choose not to form an opinion because I recognize my own naivety on the subject matter. As usual though I thought it would be a good topic for a blog post. However it’s tough to write a decent article when you have no opinion on the subject. Then I realized I could tackle it from a different perspective.

During major elections I always try and get out and vote. Once I’m in the voting booth my choice is always easy, Democrat across the board. My choice has less to do with political ideology and more to do with the lack of a better option. A clear line has been drawn down the middle of the current political map dividing everyone into either Republicans and Democrats. With only a two party system there is not a lot of room for options. In general, Republicans are socially conservative and believe that less is more when it comes to government interaction. Democrats on the flip side are pro regulations and socially liberal. But what happens when you have one key issue that negates every other issue? Obviously in my case that would be gay rights. I'm always going to vote for the candidate that is more socially liberal and who supports equal rights. By default that means that I always vote democrat. There in lies the problem. What if I want socially liberal with deregulation or vice versa? I wish conservative didn't automatically equal republican and each party had more of a mix.  

The more I think about it, the more I find these combinations an oxymoron. Republicans are in favor of deregulation and less government interference in their business lives. However they are all for government getting into our personal lives making rules on birth control, abortion, marriage and death. Shouldn't it be the Democrats that want social regulation along with their corporate rules? Logically it would stand to reason that someone who is so intent of regulating our bodies and minds would want the same rules applied to business and industry. When you really look at it from an outside perspective, the combinations don't make sense. It makes you start to wonder is one side's opinion is only based in opposition to their rivals. Can Democrats have an opinion without knowing what Republicans think? That would be a good sociological experiment.

 

For the record, I'm a registered independent.