Why the two look much the same

By Chris Basten

  Here it comes. 2004 is a momentous voting year and the special interest groups are already chirping for Mama Bird's juicy worm. As I've read the commentaries and news stories since the new year began, the "us-vs.-them" mentality is gaining full steam. The Republicans have feasted on Howard Dean as of late for his religious viewpoints. Ironically, when he mentions Christianity, conservatives feel he has a convenient agenda but when George W. Bush mentions religion, he is apparently genuine. As if either side can enter the privacy of these men's minds to know what they really think. Funny, when I think of Christianity, I don't think of God favoring political sides. God is portrayed by Christianity as a lover of the poor and downtrodden. Jesus spent plenty of time castigating the politicians and legalists of his time who used God and religion as a convenience to look good instead of live genuine lives. If we can't see that politicians, regardless of political affiliation, are guilty of using God-speak to further their agendas, we're all dumb as corkboard. I frankly don't give a squirrel's nut about politicians' religious viewpoints. What I'm interested in is their commitment to limiting government and admitting the extent to which it wastes money and doesn't work. Not a prayer's chance of that happening.

If God doesn't work, why not use innocent little babies to prod our emotions into action? The liberals decry the war in Iraq and are enraged about all of the babies being killed from our invasion. The conservatives fire back with accusations about liberals supporting abortion in our country which "kills far more babies than any war ever could." These emotionally-cooked rationalizations tend to reveal that special interest groups on either side of the political fence care more about who is right instead of what is right. They both have a point. What good is it to support one form of killing over the other if we all have blood on our hands?

Babies don't tug at the heart strings? Well, how about marriage then? Sadly, this is becoming the hot-button issue that everyone is clamoring over. How big of a deal it will play in the elections this year is anyone's guess. Gay marriage is apparently a more important issue than government waste and excessive growth. Never mind that the government is strengthening its level of intrusiveness in our lives and is taking more and more of our hard-earned money away from us to do it. However, if there is a Federal Marriage Amendment to fight over and incite the masses, why not use it to fuel a campaign? It makes for intense bickering and finger-pointing which Americans seem to love more than an episode of "American Idol." No wonder pro wrestling is such a top draw in this country. We love a good show especially if people are involved in soap opera-like spats.

Racy political campaigns and the choosing of one platform over the other make for good drama. The more involved we get, the more addicted we are to how right our side is. Even third-parties get involved to simmer the juices some more. If the straight couples and not-so-straight couples get to plead to Big Government for exclusive privileges, why not singles as well? Oddly, few seem to identify with the notion that the government has no right or authority to be involved in the marriage business. Marriages are for private citizens, chapels, and justices of the peace to deal with, not politicians. Our love lives, or lack thereof, are not on the ballot (at least they shouldn't be). The immorality of selective tax breaks for certain married couples pales in comparison to the tax increases that slither into all of our lives through the backdoor. A married couple might get tax breaks initially for their blessed union but these breaks are made up elsewhere with other taxes and we all end up paying big time regardless. This is the real issue.

If all else fails, resort to immature name calling. It is usually the feature of every political campaign. Who is Hitler this year? Perhaps it is the day care workers of America or maybe it is President Bush. Even ephedra and tobacco, both inorganic substances, have evil powers. Regardless of who or what is pronounced as Satan this year to provoke you into voting based upon an emotionally-charged issue, remember that politicians just want your vote. They will poison you into thinking that anything other than reducing Washington's influence and level of control over your life is important. If things like marriage, abortion, and religious freedom are important issues to you, consider that the government has no business refereeing any of these private areas of your life. If this country is a self-governing republic, we should be able to decide these things on our own without the government intruding. Once we whine that our neighbors aren't doing what we think is right or moral for their own lives and we can't sort things out for ourselves like adults, the government will gladly pick a side at the expense of everyone else who had nothing to do with our special little interests. A choice made by the state is one less choice you get to make on your own.