We are a species that works best when we work together.

I have been reading countless blogs, articles and comments on the current election and I can't help but notice that both sides are fighting for the essentially the same thing; protecting our personal lives.

We are all protective of our way of life, especially the positive things we have worked hard for. The thing I find the most interesting is that this fierce protection of our personal lives is a direct result of the policies that are under scrutiny to change. We have been beaten to a point that any move by the government is now seen as a threat. Why are we so protective of our current healthcare? Because we all know how horrible it would be to lose it. Most of us have had one or two experiences with either no or insufficient healthcare and if we are lucky enough to currently be at a place with a good health plan we DO NOT want to lose it. Healthcare is just one example. Money. There’s another one. It’s my money and no one is going to tell me how to spend it. Why are we so protective of our hard earned money? Because the current state of the nation does not provide us any guarantees or security. Social security? Don’t count on it. Pensions? Don’t count on em. Savings? Don’t count on it! So we go one of two ways – we scream for change or we scream for the government to leave us alone to figure out our own lives. Both are valid. I would love to be able to check off the things I want my taxes to go to when I file. Would that work? Maybe for some of us but doubtful for most. The problem is that I am a realist. I read a lot. I am a student of human nature and I know that there are some philosophies and ideals of each man for himself that in theory would be a great solution but in reality will not work. We are a species that works best when we work together. We do not have to give up our individuality but we should all work towards a common goal and that goal should be a healthy society that protects all people. Forgiveness is a virtue, selfishness is a sin. So many people have turned their back on each other and it is just wrong. No, you shouldn’t have to bail out Joe Schmoe that thought a five year interest only adjustable rate mortgage on a house they couldn’t afford in the first place was a good idea. And when you’re not standing in front of that person it’s easy to say they dug their own grave. But then when you walk through that empty REO and see the pin holes from the posters that were once on the wall of the kids bedroom. You realize that that stupid decision just put a child out of a home. And maybe your mind wanders a little further. Maybe you start to think about why that decision was made in the first place. Here in Orange County where a 2 bedroom house in poor condition in a bad neighborhood used to cost over a half of a million dollars and rent was just as high, simply having a home was out of reach for a large portion of the population. So maybe these people weren’t stupid, maybe they were just desperate and hopeful that somehow, if they could just get their foot in the door, somehow it would work out. Yes, there are a lot of sob stories we could use to make you feel sorry enough to want to help these people while in the back of your mind you still think they should lay in the bed they made. But what happens when the downtrodden move in to your neighborhood? What happens when your schools get flooded with the displaced and resources have to be rearranged and moved away from your child so they can address the needs of another? What happens when the kid next door that stays home alone most of the time because both of his parents have to work so they don’t lose the house starts playing with your kid and teaching them all the things you learn as a minor with internet access, no parental supervision and a failing public school system? Will we care then? Will we think, oh well now that it directly effects me I have changed my mind and we should do something about this? What is so wrong about feeling a little empathy towards our peers?

This is who I am and where I am coming from. I work full time, sometimes more. I am lucky because I have been given the opportunity to do this work from home so I may care for my children. I have conference calls, emails, reports, deadlines and a water cooler. I just don’t have a commute. Or a nanny. It’s hard. I have health care, I have a 401K, my husband works close to home so gas isn’t killing us. We are in escrow to buy our first home. We are doing pretty well. So why am I voting for change? Because I am just part of the whole. I am an American and there are so many Americans that are suffering. I have children that I plan to send to private school but I am still happy to have my taxes go towards public schools. Why? Because from what I’ve seen the places in which public schools are failing are directly related to a lot of other failures. I too am selfish. I want my children to grow up with educated peers wherever they may end up. I am pro marijuana. I am pro privacy. I am pro national healthcare options. I am pro gay rights. I am pro big business. I am pro small business. I am all for taxes – as long as they are fair for everyone and without ridiculous loop holes. And yet I am an elitist. Not because I think I am better than anyone else but because I strive to always be a better version of my former self. I find nothing wrong with searching for the best – be it material, philosophical, spiritual or edible. I am not comfortable with a stagnant mind that was made up long ago and still holds on to stale arguments simply because it stopped paying attention.