Where I am right now

Just reminded myself to start wherever I am, which is at this moment, in my dining room. So I am going to turn up the thermostat a few degrees, because just as we do outdoors, we should use clothing to regulate our comfort rather than electricity.

Now I want to share the preamble to the platform of the state Democratic platform. It resonates with me and I hope you too.

We are Democrats, the party of the people. We believe in teh values of community, dignity, equality, opportunity, fairness, tolerance, respect, and the common good of the world we share. gthese values provide the basis for our ideas, supported by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Now here's the preamble for the state Republican party platform:




PREAMBLE

The Washington State Republican Party is dedicated to preserving a constitutional republic. We believe that active participation by citizens is absolutely necessary to protect and preserve conservative values which include preserving a free society, free markets, free trade, the sanctity of human life, limited government, low taxes, a minimal bureaucracy, a strong national defense, private property rights, and the concept that government should do for individuals only those things they cannot do for themselves.

Washington State Republicans believe that good government is based on respect for, and trust in, the ability of individuals to chart the course of their own lives. We believe that respect for each person’s ability, dignity, and liberty is the foundation for a free and prosperous civic body politic. Good citizenship begins with protected rights and ends with accompanying responsibilities.

We believe individuals are more enlightened than governments, that markets are more efficient than bureaucracies, and that the citizen is more visionary than the collective. To this end, we reaffirm the words in the Declaration of Independence, “That all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness -That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.”

To each generation falls the responsibility to uphold the values that have made the United States the most free, wealthy, compassionate and successful civilization in history. As we confront security threats from international terrorism, economic threats from ever-increasing state intervention, and social threats from liberal cultural elites, we must also see these times as an opportunity to move society in the right direction. We are committed to ensuring that the two-centuries-old experiment that is America never fails.

It has been over two centuries since our Founders established the American creed — government under God and accountable to the people. We believe their vision is best preserved by supporting the policies outlined below.

Well! I wish I could embrace just the parts I like. There are some parts I like. If less government really mean less government, it might be OKAY. But when less government means turning folks loose to profit from exploiting people and the environment, I flinch.

There it is--I believe government's role is to help those who cannot help themselves. This means the environment, animals and fish, children, disenfranchised, the weak, and the poor.

That's where I am right now,

Peace, y'all

Molly

P.S. Happy Birthday USA! My gift to you will to be a more engaged citizen, to exercise my rights, and keep working to make this country a better place.

M