This is a blog contribution to American Democracy project.
The Middle Ground
We have reached a point in this country where partisan politics has become a poison we are all forced to drink. This lack of communication and bitterness has become a toxic sludge making healthy function of government impossible. It took a visit from the Pope for congress to lay aside their differences for a time, even though after his departure they went back to business as usual. The image above comes from the website Soda Head in their "opinions" section. This page asked for your opinion on the possibility of the two different parties working together. I checked the "Yes, they sure can" box and found that I was out voted two to one in favor of the "No, No way" box. This isn't really surprising given the current state of affairs in our country. Not unlike China building islands on top of reefs I am going to attempt in this blog to add to the Middle Ground shared by the parties by focusing on issues that should bring us together, not separate us. I would also like to try to gain a fresh perspective on some issues that I feel have room for compromise.
Ground Rules
Lets get one thing straight right from the start and set up some ground rules...just because someone disagrees with you does not make them a "communist" or an "ignorant redneck", no name calling allowed in the middle ground, fair enough? Lets follow some sound thinking laid out by John Henry Newman in his writing Knowledge Viewed in Relation to Professional Skill that where there is disagreement education has an effect on the individual and "shows him how to accommodate himself to others" and " throw himself into their state of mind". Let's follow this path as we discuss and debate the issues without assaults of the personal nature, shall we?
First Issue-Abortion
I am a republican and very much against abortion. I believe it is a barbaric practice that should be outlawed except in the cases of rape or danger to the mother. Because I am so against abortion I advocate heavily for contraception and I'm amazed that my Republican counterparts do not also favor liberal contraception laws. I believe that contraception should be available in high school, and perhaps even Jr. High. I think sex education with an emphasis on contraception should be taught in the classroom at as early an age as possible. Why would I depart from my colleagues on this point? Because I know that successful contraception would eliminate many of the abortions performed today and I hate the practice of abortion. Where can we find common ground on this issue? What other issues do we need to take a different approach to? Legalization of Marijuana, foreign policy, reforming the immigration and prison systems and political campaign funding reform are all areas that need bipartisan work to enact meaningful change. I welcome any and all comments as we try to build up the Middle Ground.
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