Political Ramblings

I am not an overtly political person. I don't like to get into political discussions with people outside my own family, and I am usually uncomfortable asserting my own views when someone else has their own strong views. I'm kind of a political wimp. I wasn't going to say anything here about the election. I have decided, though, in the interest of recording this moment for posterity, that I will. So here goes.

I voted for McCain, but I was not a McCain supporter. I felt like I was on the end of a yo-yo for most of this year's presidential campaign. I started out thinking I maybe would vote for Obama, since the other side wasn't exciting me much. When Sarah Palin came into the picture, I was inspired briefly, as was much of the nation. That feeling subsided quickly. What decided me, finally, in the days before the election, was simply the feeling that McCain was "safer". Maybe that was a dumb reason, but I just felt like Obama was more of a risk- an unknown. So I voted.

Obviously, Obama won. He is my new president-elect. And honestly, I'm fairly happy about that. I hope that he can solve some problems in our country. If he doesn't, then things will swing back the other way in four years, and the conservatives can have another try.

What does bother me is this: I have heard one person after another, starting yesterday morning, lament Obama's election with words like, "this is the end of the world", "the earth is crying because we elected him" (it was stormy yesterday), "our country is doomed", "he's going to make it so we can't have churches anymore," and my personal favorite, "he is an evil man, and he will destroy our country."

To be fair, many of these comments came from people who are not yet old enough to vote. I can't help but believe, though, that they got these opinions from their parents. Many of their arguments come from rumors and forwarded e-mails. It scares me that normally calm, rational people can get so judgmental and overwrought about this. Seriously, people, get a grip. We have a system of checks and balances in this country for a reason. I believe that Barack Obama wants to do the right thing and will be a decent president, and I will continue to believe that until I am proven wrong.

Everyone take a deep breath, count to ten, and chant, "Things will work out. This is not the end of the world, and from now on I will support our new president-elect and encourage my children to do the same. I will stop scaring my child with dire predictions for the future."

Thanks.