Post Election

There is no Hodgepodge this morning because our leader is taking the week off.  So, I thought I'd take a few minutes since I usually blog on Wednesdays anyways - and write down my thoughts about elections.  Yesterday was the "mid-term" election day all around the country.  We voted for governors, representatives, and lots of local people and issues.

I don't feel all that good about most of the election results this morning.    And, sometimes I feel like I must be really out of touch with what many, many people are experiencing in the United States.  It makes me realize our country is so huge, so diverse, so different from end to end.    I should not be surprised.  I have traveled around the country enough to know the expansive terrain, and to realize that people live very differently from the northeast, to the south, the midwest, and all the way out west.   We are the size of many European countries that have different leadership and different forms of government.

But, even as I narrow my view down to my own state, the state of South Carolina, I see the variety of people:   there are those who live in rural areas, and have lived in the state all their lives. There are people from urban areas, move-ins, looking for warmer climate, and there are those who are proudly ancestors from both sides of the pre-Civil War era.   History is big in South Carolina.

So, all this leads me to say….   I scratch my head at how people think and vote sometimes.  (And, I know they feel the same way about me.)  

I strive to find issues that I feel will make this country of ours more accepting of the differences. I look for and vote for leadership to bring us together, in peace, and to favor our children.

Last week my brother said his number one issue was jobs.  Without all Americans having jobs our society just can not work.  Democracy will not happen.  People will not be able to support themselves, to live freely, and be happy.   I definitely get that.  

So, then, I ask, because jobs are vital then shouldn't education be a high priority?  We need to educate ALL Americans so they can be qualified for jobs.  We need to stress from an early age that learning is a foundation in life.

Second, we need to live in unity and peace.  We need to stop spending money on warring so that we will have funds for caring issues.  Again, it's about the children.   It's also about providing a "hand up" to make ways available for Americans to better themselves.   It's important to show that we care for the suffering and want EVERYONE to have the same opportunities.

As a Christian woman, I believe that Jesus set the example on how to treat others.   He reached out to the dregs of society.  He was not afraid.  He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  

Our country was started on those Christian beliefs but it has changed through time.  Yes, we are now a mix of many beliefs now - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, others, and none.  (Bring us your tired and poor.) But as a Christian, when I vote I try to keep in mind what Jesus taught me.   I try to pick people and issues that support unity, not division.  Like I said, I pick a few important issues to me and then check out who running for office who I think will improve everyday life on these issues.

Now the cynic in me, and in so many of us, says it doesn't really matter who we elect.  Nothing gets done anyway.  Or, we say the candidates don't follow through on all the promises they spew when running for office.   Yes, that does happen.    But, I feel we can't live hopeless, and feeling unimportant.  We can't give up on who we elect and what we believe.

So, as another election day has come and gone I wonder if this one yesterday will make a positive difference.   I ask…..  Was it one step closer to making America a better place for the many that need better pay, better medical treatment, better security in old age, etc.  Will we put money into raising good children and in teaching unity and peace?    Will it make any difference?

I voted.  (If you didn't, you can't complain. Right? )    The people I voted for did not get elected.  But, I still have a shred of belief, and a hope for making life a bit better.  I hope and pray that those who did win last night will diligently work for all of us.  I pray they are earnest and that they do not get swayed by lobbyists and forget why they were put in office.  I hope greed and power do not blind them from the real needs.  

Sigh.    It's the morning after an election day.