Political Views in Progress

At the risk of not mulling over my thoughts and editing them, researching them, etc. I'm putting down some thoughts. These are incomplete. They may be a springboard for a conversation. Some of you will take exception and challenge my facts. I'm ok with that and will easily stand corrected. I don't have a lot of time to ponder before the election.
I’ve been aligned with the Republican Party all of my life. That has been a conscience choice on my part even though my parents (my father to be more exact) have been Republican. I’m in the midst of re-examining my position.
I’ve been a Republican because of ideology. I’ve felt that the conservative Republican ideas were most suited in fostering individual liberties and freedoms. This has been based on my belief that our mortal sojourn has been established to train and prepare us for that which is to come. If we are to be exalted in the worlds to come, we must learn the attributes of godhood and earthly mortality has been provided to teach us those attributes in part. Governments have been established to foster an environment in which that best can be accomplished. Capitalism, laissez faire, less government intrusion, etc. seem to protect an individual’s right to succeed or fail, to promote individual responsibility and agency. In this system, everyone has a right to try out a new idea, but success is not guaranteed. The opposite of that would seem to be “big government” where choice, success and failure are minimized. The masses would be cared for. Government heads would plan and make the decisions. This seems to pit capitalism against socialism or communism. This seems to run parallel to the plans brought forth in the grand pre-mortal councils. Satan would have taken choice from us in order to promote the general welfare and secure a type of success for all. Heavenly Father would allow us to make mistakes in order to learn from those mistakes. The first looks at the masses, the second at the individual. The first smacks of mediocrity, the last seems to speak to excellence. This was the framework that I had in my teenage years as I approached voting age. Obviously, the Democrats seemed to promote Satan’s plan and the Republicans promoted the Lord’s plan. Large government welfare systems with the dole stole from individuals the incentive to work hard. High taxes removed choice in the market place. This is epitomized in Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” found in The Brothers Karamazov where Christ makes a visit to Seville during the Spanish Inquisition and the principal priest berates him for returning. He explains to Christ that it has taken 1200 years for the church to gain control over the masses such that they looked only to the church for their salvation. All the glory would go to the church. The masses would do okay. They couldn’t allow Christ to address the people and spread his gospel of individual agency, which would set back all their progress. Christ had had the opportunity once when he was feeding them bread and fish. If he had continued filling their bellies, they would have done anything he wanted. He lost that chance. To me this was the Democrats vs the Republicans.
Now other ideas have entered into the scene. Bruce Hafen describes the Japanese word “Amae”. He says that it is hard to translate, but refers to the emotional sense of belonging to a greater entity. Similar to the love one feels in a close family. There is a sense of pride, familiarity, safety, closeness, bonds, etc. One might use all the various synonyms that are used in describing love. In his great “Intercessory Prayer”, Christ asks the Father that the apostles might become one as “thee and I are one”. Truly looking out for the other person, having a love that would propel us to giving our lives for another, looking out for the greater good of the community all seem to be a part of becoming like our Lord. These are attributes that necessitate putting off the individual and seeking selflessness. Community planning, zoning laws, regulations, taxing for welfare purposes, etc. would seem to be how a Zion community might operate. Democrats might go after such goals through government programs, Republicans would allow individuals to create charities, and foster non-governmental programs. Of course, if no one came up to the plate, then it wouldn’t happen.
I’m wondering what political ramifications would be found in Jacob 5, “The Tame and Wild Olive Trees” or in Hugh B. Brown’s, “I am the Gardener Here”. In both cases, a wise and loving husbandman prunes and directs the affairs of his plants. They are not allowed to grow and spread un-regulated. He knows their potential and often cuts them back dramatically, even to the point of seeing the currant bush crying. Does this say that laissez faire might not be appropriate? Do we need tight regulation in order to achieve excellence, success, etc? Our current economic crisis seems to say this. De-regulation seems to be at the root of our ills. Greed was left unfettered and undiscovered until too late. Democrats seem to be the party of hoisting regulation over the masses, while Republicans seem to have been for less government regulation.
Sex education in the schools seems to be a point of division. Conservatives would seem to say that it is the parents’ responsibility to teach these lessons and if that didn’t happen, consequences would have to be suffered. Liberals would seem to say that parents can’t be trusted to do a decent job in this area and the schools need to do this so that all the children receive some instruction. Again this would go along with individual responsibility with its resultant success or failure, or seeking to make sure everyone has been taught something and has been cared for. Republican or conservative vs Democrat or liberal.
Well, this is obviously too simplistic. The terms Republican and Democrat have no specific reference to a pure political viewpoint. They are all mixed up. Our national debt soared under Reagan and Bush. That would speak to fiscal irresponsibility which is contrary to the ideas of conservatism, individual agency, etc. I thought conservatives balance the budget. The terms liberalism and conservatism are indefinable in our present situation. I don’t think we really know what they stand for. We have good people on both sides. People that are striving to make the most of their mortality. For instance, and I really don’t know the details, under Clinton, the mortgage lending banks were asked to relax the requirements for obtaining a loan. This would allow more people in lower economic classes to obtain a home. Good, altruistic idea? Yes. Having a home does help unite families and preserve a family unit. I’m so grateful for homeownership. Was this sound fiscal policy? We’ve discovered that greed got in the way and doing something good for someone else turned into doing something that will make a lot of money. It couldn’t be sustained. Now what? Will the stress cause more families to break up? Did the deregulation under Bush (a conservative concept) allow this to go undetected?
Now to apply this to the current presidential campaign:
Health: Ideologically, I agree with McCain. Why should the employer be saddled with providing health insurance? I understand how this has come about due to unions wanting more benefits and the government paving the way for employers to provide health insurance in pre-tax dollars. That doesn’t make it appropriate. I feel that the employee should be paid a bit more and then go shopping in the market for the best insurance for him and his family. That might encourage better health choices, more educated patients, and lower costs. There needs to be a safety net for the fatherless and widows. But, now it breaks down. What if the employee doesn’t buy insurance and uses the money elsewhere? He then continues to increase costs by using the ER. What about the unemployed? Does he fit into the widows and fatherless category? Obama’s plan seems to promote the idea of a single payer. Experience shows that in such a system, quality takes a nose dive. There may be ideological differences, but the nuts and bolts are nearly impossible in both cases. I doubt that either candidate will do much revamping of the system in the first term. Someone has to come up with a really good plan. There are a lot people working on it.
To be continued.