Hope for the Future

Please let this man be the next President of the United States of America.
He gives me hope, which can be a beautiful thing.

Being a political science major in college, I take politics quite seriously. You will never hear me use the phrase, "I believe..." lightly. It's hard for me to pay attention to politics sometimes because it means too much, the stakes are too high and the failures too spectacular.

Our country has failed to live up to its potential over the last 8 years... in some ways even longer.

We went from a booming economy and a balanced budget to recession, joblessness, and a great big whopping deficit.

Our government smiles and nods as our jobs are shipped over seas.

The disparity between the rich and poor grows larger and larger. What does anyone gain if the middle class disappears?

Our leaders have allowed torture as a part of national security. There is a line. A clear demarcation between those who torture and those who don't. Why are we on the wrong side of this line? Why is our country okay with this?

I believe in what America tries to stand for. I believe all people are created equal. I believe in freedom. I believe that Americans can be a compassionate, generous people who want to do the right thing.

I wrote and deleted a paragraph about the dark side of what I believe about what the people of this nation are capable of, but this is not the post for that. This is a post of hope.

For me, it all goes back to my father. When it came to making decisions he would always say, "you should do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do." Meaning don't do it because you expect some benefit for yourself, but because it is right.

What is right means different things to different people. To me, it means that we take care of people. Children are fed, clothed, housed and have access to a quality education. They have the tools at their disposal to CHOOSE their path. The sick are nursed. The hungry are fed. Men, women, black, white, gay, straight, every one is treated equally, whether this is pay or the opportunity to marry the one you love.

For the first time in awhile, I have have hope that we can be better, that things will be better, if only this man is elected President.

It is with a mixture of terror and hope that I will watch the next few months unfold.

Please let this man be the next President of the United States of America.