Making History

We are all very well aware that our beautiful country of the United States of America is a divided one. Those that have not noticed this have been sheltering themselves. There is unrest, pre election, during election, and post election. It is the perfect storm. People with a bitter taste in their mouth and people sipping on the sweet nectar of the results are clashing. The angst can be observed among families, friends, and neighbors alike. A new level of antipathy is transpiring in human communication if mutual political opinion isn't shared. It makes me sad.

But more than sad, I find it annoying. It seems that people have forgotten a few ground rules surrounding voting, politics, and the like. Here is a friendly reminder of some of them for those who could not play nice this year.

1. Shut up.
Pardon me. I mean, please be quiet. We all have our own reasons for voting for one representative or another. Unless you can engage yourself in respectful, adult conversation and/or debate without belittling another for his or her vote, keep your mouth shut.

2. Reflect.
Take a good, hard look at your life in the past four plus years. Do you still live comfortably in your home? Are you driving a four door sedan or larger? Can you or did you vacation? Do you own any luxury items? Do you have access to quality health care? Do you have a job? If you can say, "yes" to all or most of these things, then I encourage you to evaluate your complaints. If you cannot, then let me extend my apologies for the unfortunate series of events that has cause your demise.

3. Decisions.
Many times, though not all the time, a person's good fortune comes from the personal life decisions he or she makes. For example, I would love to have full equal rights for my family without having to go through thousands of dollars of legal fees to obtain them. Instead of deciding to wait for the law to catch up with the times, my wife and I decided to pursue legal security via life and estate planning and the adoption of our two biological children. Was this the fair route? No. Was it a decision that needed to be made to ensure the security of our family? Yes. We all have things to complain about. What are you doing to get the best results for you and your family?

Now, keeping in mind these three little rules, I am going to write a biased blog about our most recent election. Though it will be weighted with my political views, I can assure you that it will be written in a respectful tone, that I dedicated more than enough time to reflecting on the past four plus years of my family's life, and that I have evaluated all of our major life decisions.

This election was about much more than the price of gasoline, the cost of campaigning, the amount of debt our country has, tax breaks, or even state of the economy. These things have consistently been a component of nearly every Presidential election. Take a look at history. It's an obvious tradition. It doesn't matter if the party is Democrat or Republican. Each has there own views and agendas on those topics. What this election held that was different and that was a pivotal point in the history of our country was a social component.

For the first time in a long time, the people of our nation were put in a position to address human rights. For the first time in a long time, a President took a controversial position on gay rights and the rights of women in the work force. There was a statement of equality for all. Perhaps that statement was made because our President realizes that the economy of this country does not run on straight, wealthy, white males alone. Perhaps that statement was made because our President is human and possesses even an ounce of empathy and compassion towards other human beings. Perhaps it is both.

In any regard, this election was not and is not trivial for my family or for families like mine. The re-election of our President confirmed that equality for all is just as important as rebuilding the financial stability of our great country. Three states, Washington, Maine, and Maryland, won the freedom to marry, and Minnesota blocked an anti-gay marriage amendment. Wisconsin elected Tammy Baldwin, the first lesbian congresswoman. New Hampshire elected a pro-marriage governor.

Across our nation people are making an effort to move this country forward from a social perspective. This excites me, but I'm not excited only for me. I'm thrilled for my children. I cannot wait for the day they understand when I tell them that the President of the United States loves our family and families like ours. I will gush when I tell them that he and many others are working very hard to make sure our family has the same legal securities as everyone else's. I am eager to teach my children about this moment in history. It is a critical one. We are making history and it is good.

I shall close with just a couple remarks on the economic state of our country. It is not all doom and gloom, folks. I think it is easily forgotten that our President walked into financial ruin. He did not create it. The work required to amend those damages will extend far beyond a four-year term. It may even extend beyond his eight years in office.

Is our government making progress? Yes. Is it happening overnight? No. Is the overall state of the economy something that we as individuals should consume ourselves with? Kind of. We should all be concerned, but it should start at home with our personal finances. Believe it or not, responsible fiscal management at this level will contribute to the overall financial health of our country.

Finally, I think there is something to be said about privilege. I could live in Sudan, a country that ranks as one of the world's worst economies. I could live in Rwanda or Ethiopia where there are incomprehensible levels of crime and hunger. Or, I could live in Jamaica, one of the most homophobic places on earth. I don't. I get to live here in the United States of America where I am comfortable and well fed and moving toward equal rights. I am, we are, privileged. This country is ready to make history. Let's go!