Post 2.18 - Obama: The Sequel

On November 6, 2012, the United States re-elected Barack Obama to a second term as President. While the rejoicing was not as euphoric as 2008, this came as a great relief to many across the country and the world.

Despite living in a traditionally red state (Arizona) and working in a very blue state (California), I know many from the opposite party in both locations. It has given me a new respect for Republicans and conservatives in general, and encouraged me on the issues that are important to me.

I am a civil rights voter. It's not that I don't care about energy, the environment, or the economy, but in my opinion, until we get beyond certain serious civil issues, things are not going to improve. One party has a decidedly better record in this area.

And I think this is where the future lies, more than many might expect.

As citizens, as human beings, we are stewards of our country and our world. We are only here temporarily, but we all leave a legacy. We can choose to leave a legacy of discrimination, of destruction, of waste, of ignorance -- or we can choose to leave a legacy of justice, of nurturing, of growth, and of knowledge.

A conservative friend of mine was trying to explain to me his free-market position and how it applies across the board. If you are mistreated by an employer, simply find another. If you have a bad experience with a product, simply buy something different. And my response was to say that if companies and individuals behaved ethically, whether in health, safety, or just basic fairness, we wouldn't need regulations in these areas. Our country and our world are not level playing fields unless we do things to make them so.

In the US, we are taught that all men are created equal. If that were really true, we would not have had the women's suffrage movement or the need for the Civil Rights Act. Yes, our founding documents may say these great words, but our failing has always been that we ignore them.

It is my fervent hope that we continue to see the progress we saw in this election on LGBT issues, on the population of women and minorities in government, and in embracing the changing face of our electorate. It is our future, and clinging to outmoded ideology is denying the force of nature.

Have a question or a suggestion for a future topic? E-mail me at facetsblog@gmail.com.
Location: San Rafael, CA, USA

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