Capitalist, right here.

I was talking with my mom last weekend about the election. This is dangerous territory as my mom and I generally have divergent views on just about all political views. We both have what might be an unhealthy amount of disdain for the other's party of choice, and whereas I am a fan of the Rachel Maddows of the world, my mom is an avid supporter of a woman who encompasses everything I hate, Nancy Grace.

At any rate, my mom was asking me questions about Obama, and it was nice. She asked me to tell her about what Obama has accomplished because she honestly did not know and said she knew I know about these things. (That was actually a fairly nice compliment.) So we talked and she tells me she is just not voting. Normally, I support civic engagement across the board, but this is a step for my mom. She can't bring herself to vote for Obama but she won't vote against him. Ok, I'll take that. We had a brief discussion in which I suggested she vote for a 3rd party in hopes of bringing greater diversity in the future. I won't even bother going into that conversation.

SO, why wouldn't my mom vote for Obama? TAXES. My mom thinks he will raise her taxes. I towed the Obama line and told her only those making over 250K will see an increase. I told her that she and dad do NOT make over 250K so their taxes will fall. Her response "Well, we all know they say that now but it won't stay that way." (Is my mom Joe the Plumber?)

Now, it could be the fact that I am in the midst of a presidential movie marathon, but I started thinking about this claim: you can't trust a Democrat to cut taxes. OR WORSE, Democrats WANT to raise taxes. Democrats WANT to spend your money. Frankly, it kind of pisses me off.

I'm angry that somehow we have accepted the label, fiscally liberal. I don't think I stand for being fiscally liberal at all. I WANT a balanced budget. I want less government spending. I WANT lower taxes. And even beyond that I WANT small government, and I am willing to bet I favor these things just as much as any conservative.

That being said, I NEED to live in a world in which regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. everyone is given a fair chance at happiness. I NEED to live in a country that does not see people living in poverty and allow it to continue. I NEED to live in a society in which mental illness, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and/or physical disabilities are not a sentence to a life of nothing more than your basic needs being met (if you are lucky) but rather you are afforded the opportunity to reach your own personal potential.

and I want all of that to be possible without a big government, but until we rid the world of discrimination and find a way to instill a sense in everyone of basic consideration for our neighbors, that isn't going to happen. So, until then, I want a government that is looking to put itself out of business. We talk about this in the nonprofit world. The goal of social service agencies is to be so successful, you are no longer necessary. I am not advocating anarchy, but I am advocating a government that looks for long term sustainable solutions to our greatest problems. That seeks not to minimize their magnitude but to work to address the institutional causes of these problems in a way that little by little makes the need for a government role no longer necessary. This is idealistic and I know that, but I am sick and tired of the notion that because I want to see a better world, I am in some way WANT to spend hard working Americans' money. No one wants that and it is ridiculous to even suggest. The difference between us is not our wants but our needs, and I for one, am willing to put my needs before my wants.