This dreaded post.

I have had this post stuck in my mind for several days now and I fear nothing else will come to me to post until I get this off my mind and into the world of blogging.

There are a few reasons I don't like politics.

First, it brings out the worst in many many people. Whether politicians or citizens, I think politics shows a lot about ourselves that we try - and in many times - successfully hide. Selfishness, greed, extremism, not having enough integrity to stand for what you believe in, cowardliness, complacency, and no desire to research things out for ourselves (believing the emails that get circulated around or what someone said that someone else said that they heard, or listening to certain radio stations and believeing everything said - I call this stupidity), and dishonesty.

Second, the only reason to get in a good debate with someone is to try to convince them they are wrong and you are right. I can't even convince my kids to put away the milk when they are done or close the door behind them or turn off the light when they leave a room. Like I am going to be able to convince someone to see issues the way I do. Sometimes, I feel a certain way and I can't convince or logically describe it besides saying- that it is just the way I feel.

Third, it shows me how corrupt many of our leaders are and gives me a sense of doom. Many people have felt this sense of frustration this election over not liking any candidate running for office and having to chose the best of what is there. Some chose not to pick one at all.

Many years back I would have called myself a conservative republican. As time has gone by though, I have found there are things that I like about democrats and their issues. Mostly for me, the perfect party is somewhere in between both and I like having both there to help balance the other party out. In recent years, I consider myself an independent. I vote depending on what the main issues are and character instead of party.

All I want to say about this years election - I am deeply disappointed and saddened by how selfish our nation is. I am disheartened to see many members of this church so far from living the law of consecration and the united order. For the first time in my short life, I am seeing how the more money you have the harder it really is to part with it. People inside and outside the church feel so entitled to their money and feel like they have earned it by working hard and being educated. To some extent, this is true. But not as much as people think.

I have a very strong opinion that everything we have and the money we are given is given to us from God and that we are only stewards to that money and to our possessions. I feel that we will be accountable to our Heavenly Father for how we spent our money and what we did with it. How much did we give and how much did we waste? Did we help the poor and needy even if we felt they didn't deserve it? Did we refuse to give any portion of what we have been blessed with to someone because we felt that they haven't worked hard enough or had enough education to deserve it? Did Christ go around healing people only if he felt like they had educated themselves enough or worked hard enough to deserve it? No, he loved the poor and needy. He blessed all and gave the ultimate sacrifice to everyone whether or not they deserved it. Since we live in an imperfect world where we can get taken advantage of, we can't always do that. But eventually we will all give all that we have and take all that we need and there will be plenty to go around.

I have had a lot of experience and training working with the welfare program of the church. I guess I learned early on that it is not up to me to decide who is worthy of receiving help and how much or how long we should help them- and I am SO SO SO grateful that I don't have that responsibility. Thank heavens we don't always know who our fast offerings go to and why. Many of us would go nuts!!! Responsibility of deciding who deserves what is not mine. I am satisfied knowing that I am giving through taxes or donation to those less fortunate and that someone else has the stewardship to disperse those things to people who need it most.

For me this holds true to the church and to our government. I don't have the ability or energy to track every single dollar I give to taxes to make sure they are going only to the best causes. So, I tell myself that my tax dollars this last year went to make sure I drive on safe roads with working traffic lights, and went to help my neighbors, friends, or relatives who can't afford health insurance for their kids, and to the teachers at my kids schools and supplies and heat and water for them. I have to tell myself that the money I am taxed goes to the causes I like best so that I don't get all bent out of shape over every government waste that happens. You can call that irresponsible or ignorant, but that is why researching and voting is so important to me. I get to chose who has the best plan and go with that.

So, I guess that is what I needed to get off my chest. I hope within the church we can get better at being charitable and giving to everyone and leave the judging to God or those who have been given that responsibility.

There... WHEW!!! Finally got that off my shoulders. Time to move on!