Yes, I lean to the right. I am not unbalanced, I am not psychopath, I am not uncompassionate....I lean to the right.
Reading the MSN headlines and posts from my FB friends are a morning activity with my morning coffee. Sometimes I get only five minutes, sometimes a leisurely hour depending upon whether it is the middle of the school year, the middle of summer, or somewhere in between. Usually I read the political news and posts and research on my own (from the advice of my son who suggests I do so before I should comment!) as I explore the thoughts of the posts. I rarely comment on any of the political posts as I know I have friends, whom I dearly love, on both sides of the aisle. Sometimes I do live through the posts of some of my friends, but I purposely try to stay middle of the ground and read only so as not to offend as I believe my gifts and talents lie in the education arena. I try to spend the whole of my energies wondering, exploring, and researching how I can always improve upon myself to make a difference in the lives of the little ones I encounter. Once in a great while I do come across a post that I feel so passionate about that I feel I have to respond or share.
Two interesting comments were a point of discussion recently. The first regarded a television show that referenced how Republicans were not compassionate people and a question was put forth that perhaps we Republicans were psychopaths? I regarded this as an interesting viewpoint, but come on people. I do not call Democrats or any of my Democratic friends psychopaths. Really, really? My response was that I do lean to the right and that I did not think I was either uncompassionate or a psychopath and that I probably couldn't be teaching preschool if I were. The discussion went further and I bowed out, but I have read on to all the comments on how the face of the Republican party had no compassion. I bit my tongue on not replying that I thought some of the choices of the Democratic administration has been a bit heartless on.
The second comment regarded a post I recently shared regarding wealth. I am not wealthy, nor claim to be. Like the Duggars I sometimes buy used and save the difference. I like thrift stores, I do shop at Walmart and clip coupons (well, my grandma clips them and I share them!) and I am always budgeting. The picture post says: "Let me offer you my definition of social justice. I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well, then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you and why?" Walter Scott. Although I am thankful for the opposing comment from a friend because it exemplifies the differences in our beliefs, I am persuaded otherwise. Knowing first hand how my father's family business has been impacted over the last six years resulting in decisions and changes that have affected us personally, this post I was passionate about. Having your spouses salary cut by more than fifty percent in four different pay decreases in a few years, losing a house and being totally underwater has made me appreciate the little things, but knowing what percentage of our income goes towards a system that doesn't seem to be working honestly sometimes makes me frustrated. Social Justice is a grand idea. It is a wonderful idea to help people. Although there are people that it helps, there are honestly so many abuses as well. And can anyone honestly tell me how much of what we earn belongs to someone else and why?
Let me put it this way. I teach preschool. At the beginning of the year I see all kinds of very cool backpacks, simple backpacks and sometimes children forget their backpacks. What would happen if I took all the very cool backpacks, the Frozen Elsa backpacks, the awesome Lightning McQueen backpacks and I collect them and set up a give a back pack away station at the back of my school. I would have crying children, I would have angry parents, I would have people who honestly couldn't afford any backpacks very glad for the program and I would for sure have those in line very greedy and collecting the cool backpacks for resale or other uses even though they really didn't need them or didn't want them and only used them because they were too lazy to go out and get one for themselves or collected them to resell to others. If I honestly did that, I would probably be fired. Why are we taxing and taking away from some people so much to help some people who are abusing the system. Wouldn't it be more fair to limit the help a bit so that those who use it wouldn't become dependent on it, wouldn't abuse it and be more willing to get back up on their feet and find a job? (No, of course I am not talking about those who are really in need. Only those that make this dependency a way of life).
Or how about this? I teach Sharing is Caring in my class. All of my children and their parents and even my own children have heard me say this, "Sharing is Caring!" because it is. If one child has a toy and another wants it, I have to role play so they can see; or I have to share words with them so that it is modeled for them to see. Billy has been waiting for the coolest digger truck on the playground. He has built a big mountain of mulch while he is waiting. Someone finally is finished with the digger. He goes to pick it up and is playing all of two minutes when another child comes and wants the digger. Sharing is Caring, so I take it away from Billy and give it to the child? No. I turn to Billy and say, "Billy, when you are done, can you share the digger?" If he is willing to share that is so wonderful AFTER he is done with it. I can praise him mightily for his willingness in helping a friend. He will feel good and his friend will feel good. Billy also sometimes says no, so in that case I can help the other friend make another choice. It's all about choices and promoting the choices that help; but to take the digger away when Billy has clearly waited all of this time for it himself is not conducive to him learning to help. When you force the sharing, it just doesn't work. When we force the taxing of those who are in the upper tax brackets you are forcing them to take their business elsewhere, (which loses jobs), or reduce the number of people (which loses jobs), or reduce the pay you pay your employees (my father's case and why we are upside down because he reduced salaries multiple times to keep his employees), but this causes reduction in spending. I don't know how long it has been since I have just "spent!" I am constantly rethinking what I spend and making every penny count and only paying for the necessities. Oh, how life used to be different. There will always be people who are unsure about sharing, but you will always also have people who love to share, love to make a difference and love to give, give, give. Why do we have to take from people so much, why can't we ask and let them make a choice?
Or how about this! As a preschool teacher, I am always encouraging friendly, fair behavior. When I see something wonderful I sometimes give out stickers or smellies (fun flavored chapstick I rub on the child's back of the hand that stays with them all day and smells great! If I gave EVERYONE a sticker or a smelly just because ... well that wouldn't be fair! I would have a class of children who knew they could get an incentive for doing nothing, or children who knew if they followed all the rules and were kind they could see their friends not working to get the same incentive. How is that fair? It isn't. As much as it would be to be a teacher with the emphasis on being a child's friend and willing to give everything to everybody so everybody is the same; I am first and foremost their teacher. I am teaching limits. I am teaching fairness. I am teaching behaviors. Sometimes they may not be happy with me on a particular minute of a particular day, but always at the end of the year they have learned. Setting limits for our borders is fair. Where will these people go? Where will the children be going to school? Where is the money coming from to take care of them? Why is the government being so secretive in the transporting of migrating people to the interiors of our country? Why am I being labeled insensitive or uncompassionate for even bringing these questions up?
Dropping my daughter off at a two hour away first time ever sleep away camp for a week was a big deal. Right outside of Staunton off I-81 in Virginia. Heading off the highway and into the smaller country roads we encountered two large unmarked white buses coming the opposite way. I had to pull over a bit to let them pass. They were obviously headed back to the highway. As they passed we saw each bus empty but driven by a uniformed driver. Odd I thought. Picking my daughter up at the end of the week and hearing her story of hiking with her senior counselor on the woodsy trails she relayed they came across a man in the woods watching them. Creepy! I then was curious about the buses and put two and two together. I cannot confirm who the man was, but found online that the Juvenile Delinquent Center in Stuanton was being filled with non citizens. I found out also that the Juvenile Delinquent Centers also in Arlington and Bristow Virginia had been filled as well. Why didn't this make the news? This is not the only part of the country where this is going on and how is it right to even consider making these people citizens when so many have taken the proper wait in line rule? I would have a total behavior melt down in class if I was to do away with the whole turn taking thing.
Thanks for reading, thanks for considering, thanks for knowing that we are all allowed a thought that belongs to us. We all lean different ways.
