Politics

I really do not like politics because nobody ever seems to listen to anybody. It is just people shouting and saying bad things about people with whom they think they disagree.

If I have figured it out right there are liberals and there are conservatives. The liberals think government should have a larger role in how things are done. The conservatives think government should do less and let the free market and individuals have more say in how things are done. That is an honest difference of opinion about what is the best way for the country to operate. One idea is not evil and the other good, but they are different opinions. People might want more government control in some areas of life and less in others, so there is some liberal and some conservative in all of us. I just don't understand all the screaming and shouting. It makes my ears hurt and does not help to solve anything.

Obama is a liberal. The conservatives say he is evil. If he could fix the economic mess we are in tomorrow the conservatives would find fault because they are convinced he can do nothing that is good. It seems impossible for them to listen to him. My conservative friends quote conservative authors and pundits to back up their point of view. Gingrich, Limbaugh and Palin are conservatives. The liberals seem to hate them and mock everything they say as hate filled fear mongering. The liberals quote other liberals to back up their point of view. It seems that nobody is really listening and there is great fear among us. It makes me sad and angry.

I tend to lean to the liberal side of things. I think the government needs to intervene to make things better. I have family and friends who disagree with that idea. I respect that we are honest, patriotic people who disagree. We do not need to shout. We need to listen and respect one another.

Is it possible for people to be more respectful of one another?