Why does God allow bad things to happen?

 

God has told us not to worry about those who can destroy the body, but those who can destroy the soul. We often see the horrific things man can do to man and we see the physical destruction in the battle of good and evil, but we cannot see the spirits which continue on. Our bodies are sacred, but in the end they are temporary housing of our spirits.

God sent his children down and hid his face because, though we professed our love to him in his presence he knew some of us may not be happy to be with him eternally. He also knew some of us would do all we could to return to him. So he created a plan and allowed us to figure it out on our own, because if He sorted us out before we could prove ourselves it would leave questions as to why some were chosen, and others not. His plan left it up to us to determine our own fate, leaving no questions.

God sent us to earth to prove to ourselves where we belong in the eternal realm. He has given us prophets to guide us and teach us how to live successfully without exposing our self to the natural consequences of sin which is further separation from God. These prophets teach us how to make decisions to get closer to God. And they try and help us understand our eternal nature and responsibility to help others enter the path which returns us to our Heavenly home. He also knew that we would make mistakes in the process of learning. We needed a Savior who could account for our injustices, those mistakes which we made in figuring things out. All impurity must be cleansed before we could return to God’s presences. And so Jesus Christ was sent to take upon himself the task of purifying those who truly humbled themselves and accepted him as their Savior. Now we had an advocate, someone who could represent us and justify our learning process before God.

Christ also stands to protect the integrity of heaven by making sure that no evil could enter heaven.

So why is evil allowed to exist? Because, a man cannot be judged by their thoughts alone, because everyone is subject to temptations. Therefore, God could not interfere with evil actions, or those who were evil could not be judged justly. Therefore evil is allowed to happen to ensure that eternal consequences are just for those who are evil and merciful to those who used their lives to do good despite their weaknesses. This life is sacred and important, but in the eternal scheme of things we will look back and see many things as part a big and beautiful plan to ensure that our eternal life is spent with those whose true desire is to be just and merciful, like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

MY Declaration- I am Cory Milligan

I am Cory Milligan, I am a son of God.

He is my Father and I was born to become like him.

I was born in all his abundance, that I might help others

experience life as it was meant to be.

The seeds of greatness that make my Father who he is

are the same seeds of greatness that make me who I am.

My capacity to love comes from him.

My passions come from him.

My talents and abilities come from him.

My hopes and dreams are born in him.

My faith and strength to do hard things comes from him.

My Father blesses me for no other reason than I am his son.

He has empowered me through Jesus Christ and his atonement 

to overcome adversity in All its forms.

I was born to experience life in all it's abundance, 

with all it's ups and downs, that I might, 

despite my own mistakes and shortcomings, 

fulfill my Father's desire that I succeed, and experience Life 

and the Joy of Creation. 

It is my choice to succeed or not. I choose to succeed.

It is my choice to do good or not. I choose to do good.

It is my choice to learn and to grow. I choose to learn and to grow.

I was born to become a creator, just as my Father is the creator of 

Heaven and Earth. It is part of who I am, and who I am becoming.

He believes in me. And I believe in Him. 

I am Cory Milligan, I am a son of God. He is my Father.

I was born to Win! And by his grace, IT SHALL BE DONE!!

Immigration Reform: A Call For Ideas Not Problems

Several years ago I was part of a group project for a class. The class was an Mexican American relations class. I and my two other group members chose to take on a broader subject than what the class was asking for, but the teacher allowed for it.  I do not claim this is the only solution and only offer it as one thought that might work. I encourage any discussion on the subject. I hope this is not taken as anything more than another voice of reason. It is open for criticism, I would hope you might add to the conversation. We need more solutions to the problem, not more criticism for what is being done. We need to stop listening to what New Yorkers, or Washingtonians report to us and take it into our own hands to find out what those who are closest to the problem are dealing with. It is easy for us to sit back in our "Arm Chairs" and call the plays and scream about what they should have done, or what they should do, but for heavens sake and for the sake of our sovereignty lets start giving Washington some of our own ideas, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans who have compassion, but also can understand the responsibilities our our leaders have to protect its citizens from outside invasions whether they be armed, unarmed; whether they have intent to do harm, or don't have intent to do harm.  So here is what we came up with.

Running Head: IMMIGRATION REFORM

  

Immigration Reform

Cory Milligan

Britt Hawke

Anna Sukupova

Salt Lake Community College

Fall Semester 2008

 Abstract

Immigration needs reform. Our paper will focus on the solution to immigration reform, as we have found this must start at the federal level followed up by state policy and enforcement. We will introduce the current law and make suggestions that may further benefit our state and national interest concerning immigration. We will also look at ways to help assimilate immigrants into our society, accepting the good each of our cultures as a positive influence on each other. 

                                                                                     

            Immigration reform has been a concern not only in Utah but in the United States as a whole. In Utah alone there is an estimated 200,000 illegal immigrants.  The largest number of illegal immigrants enter the United States via the southern border, and are Mexican nationals. And while immigration is a key to American economics, it also brings with it financial, educational, and social challenges that must be overcome in order to make our society run in a civil and orderly manner.  While other nationalities can be assumed, for the purpose of this proposal we will refer to illegal immigrant as those coming from over the Mexican border.

            Financially the costs of illegal immigration out weigh the benefits of cheap labor.  Illegal immigrants increase the cost of healthcare by taking advantage of our policy not to turn away anyone in need of care.  One of the greater costs related to health care is the high rate of unwed teen pregnancy among the Latino population who subsequently then use the system to pay for the hospital care.  Many immigrants cross the border for the very purpose of baring children in the United States knowing that we will not turn them away and that their children will gain immediate citizenship into the United States.  The psychological impact of migrating here illegally is not something that is easily measured; however it is obvious that it has an effect, as often they do not report many unscrupulous acts against them. This creates an atmosphere where abuse and disrespect are fostered, especially in the work place, not only toward illegal immigrants but towards legal immigrants as well.  The two greatest of illegal immigration are healthcare and education, despite the fact that many illegal immigrants do not even partake in the education process.  Statistics show a great disparity between legal immigrants and illegal immigrants when it comes to schooling.  Those who come here legally, by and far participate in the education system, even though they have a high rate of drop out, it at least offers them an opportunity to learn English and participate in the greater part of society.

            Socially, illegal immigrants tend to keep to themselves or cling tightly to those within the Latino culture.  This prevents the opportunity of the greater society to get to know them and their culture.  It leaves many suspicious, whether justified or not, of what their intentions are.  It also promotes racism on both sides of the cultural divides.  Also illegal immigration has strong ties to other illegal activities such as drug smuggling, as evidenced in a PBS interview of Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano and New Mexico’s Governor Bill Richardson as well as Mexican Ambassador Carlos De Icaza performed by Gwen Ifill (2005), and identification theft as cited in Bob Sullivan’s blog article, Hidden costs of illegal immigration: ID Theft (2006).  

            Educationally, the greatest cost, approximately 12 billion dollars, comes in the creation of bilingual classes. These classes seem to create a major distraction for everyone.  And with a high drop out rate we may question its effectiveness as a culturally effective program.  The other aspect of Education that must be overcome is the Class system which they have come from. Freedom is not something that is given and received immediately. The mental process of freedom requires much more than a “key to the kingdom.” When all your life you have been taught that you are of the lower class and you can’t change that. When you enter a free society where you are expected to progress, it may clash culturally at first. It takes time to comprehend and believe this principle. Many who have been born here understand this principle even less.

Our Proposal

            Because immigration law comes from the federal government we found that anything we did within the State of Utah would do very little good to affect the original problem of illegal immigration. If we create a program to benefit those who are here illegally, we do an injustice to those who are here legally as well as those who are U.S. born here and those who are trying to come legally. It would also encourage further illegal immigration. The current laws being proposed in the Utah legislature would work in conjunction with our plan, but still seems to be a political maneuver rather than an effort to resolve real problems. This possibly is because it would take both aspects of our proposal to work. If both parts are not implemented it would upset the critical balance of justice to those who are trying to be lawful and compassion toward those who are only trying to do what they can to feed their families. Thus, our proposal goes to the heart of the problem, creating a system that would allow for immigrants to come to the state as documented members of our society. They would come here as employers demand more labor. It would also bring immigration levels to a more beneficial level to the whole of society.

            We propose that the State of Utah create a coalition of states to petition the Federal government for property or properties across the southern border for the United States. This property would be used to build one large Campus or several smaller campuses on the border. These campuses could be manned by National Guard units from throughout the United States for the purpose of increasing the ability of INS to process visas, green cards, and naturalization papers. These facilities would act like an “Ellis Island” in the desert, where papers are processed the medical exams are performed. We could set up different opportunities to speed the process of citizenship by offering those who wished to join the military for a minimum of 6 years. This would allow them an opportunity to gain skills and get an education that they might not otherwise receive. While they are in the military their families could be taken care of on a military base where they can learn English, this would also be desirable in that their health care costs would be taken care of through the military.

We could use these locations to teach them the basic dos and don’ts of our society that may conflict with customs they are used to living. Instilling in them the principles of American freedoms and a sense of pride in the journey they are about embark on. We can teach them how to use their culture to help our culture. Promote and encourage them to reach out and participate in society.

To save money on this project, immigrants could provide some of the services required while they go through the process. Such as food services and general house keeping for those who are going through the process. The National Guard and reserve units who are already receiving pay from the government, could man the facilities as part of the Homeland Security. This in conjunction with border patrol could increase our presence for the purpose of slowing the drug smuggling. Where immigrants could enter legitimately for much less or the same money that it would cost to hire a coyote, it could hopefully break the back of the human smuggling business, a practice that is not only illegal but extremely dangerous as well.

These campuses could coordinate with individual states as to the need for more labor or even skilled workers. This would immediately give immigrants a direction and a specific place in society that would give them a foundation to work from. We could provide testing to determine the level of skill and aptitudes to guide them into areas that they may enjoy even if they hadn’t thought of it before. It may also place them in positions that pay better than the bottom labor pool.

Once these campuses are in place then it will be of the utmost benefit to the State to come down on employers who are hiring illegal immigrants. We do not recommend that the illegal immigrants be punished more than a trespass ticket, but fine the business heavily the first offense with a follow up within 90 days and a bigger fine if they continue to work with illegal immigrants. Those fines could go directly to the border campuses to help fund the process.

The purpose of coming down on business, rather than the illegal immigrants, is to save money and discourage illegal immigrants from staying. With out jobs they may return across the border on their own. This in conjunction with the easier access to legal entrance would act like a atmospheric high pressure to low pressure reaction; High pressure leading out of the country being replaced by the low pressure of easy entrance into the country.

By making it easier to get into this country and providing better opportunities for work this may help legitimize the Latino community in the eyes of many, that otherwise equate all Latinos, whether right or wrong, as illegal. Many have been labeled as racist because of this attitude when in reality they are not racist, but they are concerned about the heavy influx of illegal immigration and the problems that come with it. By making it possible for these immigrants to access our communities legally we may see many more people embrace the Latino community and recognize their legitimate contributions to our society.

Many in the community are not against immigration at all, but the concern is that when illegal immigrants come into the country they have not gone through the health screenings, as well as background checks. Many are concerned simply with the potential of terrorists entering the country through this southern border, and for good reason, border patrols have picked up Middle Eastern men entering our country through the southern border (Carter, 2006). Another concern that has been expressed is the illegal documents that are used by illegal immigrants to further the deceit of their trespass. This aspect of illegal immigration should be dealt with harshly. If an illegal immigrant is found using false documents they should be prosecuted and fined according to the law. If it costs more when they get caught using illegal papers, and employers won’t hire them, it will increase the pressure for them to go back across the border.

The costs of this plan would be enormous. However, if we take into consideration the savings we would gain from not deporting individuals who likely would return almost immediately anyways, as well as other expenses related to illegal immigration. We must also take into consideration the immeasurable savings that might come from the psychological effects on the immigrant population as they are legitimized in a just manner. This might also cut down on employer abuse as those who are wronged would feel much freer to express their complaints with law enforcement. As was stated earlier the likelihood of education would increase with legal entrance. We might further increase the likelihood by encouraging the Latino community to create a media campaign promoting education as a means to make a better life for their family. When education is taken advantage of then greater opportunities to enter into the middle and upper class of society will surely follow.   

Another way that we might be able to save money is by providing work assignments to improve our communities in exchange for healthcare. Utah has many resources including the LDS church who has shown an interest in the Latino community by providing many outreach programs. One of those programs has to been to provide an opportunity to learn English for a minimal cost to the participants.

As we talked to the Mexican Consulate, they were unable to give us any opinion on our proposed plan. However, he did tell us that most of those coming up want to just live an average life and take care of their families. From this answer we might surmise that there is not a lot of expectation among those coming up here illegally. This is kind of disappointing, because they have so much to offer. This is obviously not every case, but it seems to be a prevailing attitude. As we have learned that the class system in Mexico is much different than it is here. Here we encourage and hold in high esteem, those who come from the bottom and rise to the top. Whereas, in Mexico they have been taught that they are the bottom and that is what they will always be. To overcome this mentality takes time. Those who do grasp this concept often times end up creating jobs themselves, becoming a part of the solution rather than the problem.

In conclusion, we feel that our approach to this issue is the most compassionate option to reform the immigration policy plaguing American Society today, while remaining just to those who have sacrificed and patiently waited to enter this country legally. The timeliness of this plan may work due to the fact that with our current economic crisis, many illegal immigrants are voluntarily returning to Mexico. As the economy drops the number of illegal immigrants leaving will increase. If we can implement this proposal while numbers are naturally plummeting we can be set in place when the economic situation turns around.  Pressure from within the United States to discourage the hiring of illegal immigrants, combined with a decrease in difficulty of entering legally, will provide for the most natural transition in the legitimizing of a culture that has contributed greatly to the history of the United States.

Our efforts to contact congressional members and Senators have largely been unproductive as the holiday schedule has been somewhat of an obstacle to meeting with aids or members themselves. Currently we do have requests with Congressman elect Jason Chaffetz, and Senator Orrin Hatch to review our proposal for an opinion or further suggestions. 

Bibliography

Ifill, G(Host). (August 18, 2005). U.S.-Mexico border disputes, Border disputes [Television series episode]. In A News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Washington D.C.: PBS, found online http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/july-dec05/borders_8-18.html

Sullivan, B (2006, March 31). [Weblog] Hidden costs of illegal immigration: I.d theft. The Red Tape Chronicles. Retrieved 11/30/08, from http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/03/hidden_cost_of_.html

Carter, S (2006 December 28). Links between illegal immigration, terrorism, drug trade worry U.S officials. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4917114

Be Less Offended and More Forgiving

I was recently asked to speak at senior care facility for their Sunday Services. What kind of a message do you prepare for those who are approaching the end of their mortal experience? I have found that God speaks to me often in my memories. I had three memories that crossed my mind.

First was that of an experience I had with my Grandma. My grandma was a very nice person, very
well loved among her friends, but she was very bitter towards her children and men in general, especially "Milligan", as she bitterly referred to her ex-husband (my grandpa). I was often very uncomfortable visiting with her. One because I was a man, even though she said her remarks were not directed at me. I had to figure out what she meant by that. Am I not a man? Or does she just still see me as a child, not yet reaching the maturity that deserved such brutal remarks? And two, my father was one of her children that she was unhappy with. My father was my hero.

A couple of months after my father passed away, my grandma also passed away. Shortly after that my aunt Linda felt prompted that she should have her mother and father sealed eternally in the temple. She brought it up at a family event and there was some skepticism in her proposal, but everyone agreed to partake in the ceremony. So, as soon as were able to do so, we went to the temple to perform the ordinances to have my grandma and grandpa sealed to each other and to their children. I got to be proxy for my grandpa with my aunt Linda proxy for my grandma...When the sealing was done and we were walking out there were some that were still very skeptical about the whole thing, but I was not. I had it confirmed to me that the sealing was accepted. It was at that moment I realized that many of the things that were important in this life, just wont be important in the next life. And if they are not important in the eternal scheme of things then why make them important in this life?  Why be offended by things that wont matter? What if all of us were not so easily offended by the words that others spoke to us, sometimes in anger, sometimes in love? Offense only poisons our soul, and makes us miserable. Be Less Offended.

The second experience that came to my mind was one I had with my mother-in-law. She was a wonderful woman and we had the opportunity to care for her in our home for the final month of her life. In her final days of mortality I recognized that she was living in three different realms. The first, was the morphine realm, where little dogs ran across the ceiling and she would name them. There were also shelves that didn't exist, but needed dusting so she would proceed to do so while in the comfort of her bed. That was the morphine realm. The second realm was her coherent realm where we could talk to her and she could share here thoughts and feelings with some effort. The third realm was spiritual. This realm is where I happened to walk in on her as she was listening to someone talk and she was nodding in acknowledgement muttering a yes here and there, then she finally said, "I forgive you."... I don't know who she was talking to for sure, but I suspect it was her mother. Her mother was not very kind to her in this life. She was married, I believe, eight times. Some of those husbands and abused my mother-in-law and scarred her for life. She never really said much about it, but it was pretty obvious as we looked back on it. Anyways, when I heard her utter those words, I felt and overwhelming peace enter the room. This was only days before she passed away. It was then that I realized that we need to be More Forgiving.

The third experience that I had was visiting with Sister Ann Dibbs, President Monson's daughter. She occasionally stops in at the clock shop to have us work on her dad's watch. Anyways, we got into a conversation and I asked her how her dad was doing, and she said that it was hard seeing him get old. Somehow I felt impressed to share with her my experience with my mother-law. She said, "that is interesting, I had a friend that came up to me the other day and told me that I needed to forgive my father so he could progress." It made me realize that even our beloved prophet has need for forgiveness to progress.

How much better would we be if we would just learn to be less offended and more forgiving? How much easier would it be for us to learn and to progress in our understanding if we could have people say hard things to us and we didn't take offense. What if we could shake off the bitterness now, and forgive those who have delivered us and injustice as we see it? Don't get me wrong there are things that do matter in this life. There are things that must be dealt with in this life that can not be ignored. But what if we just simply recognized those things dealt with them and forgave the person for offending us?  Forgiving someone does not exempt them from justice. In forgiving someone it simply acknowledges that you do not have the authority to inflict justice and so you hand the matter over to those one who has the authority and ability to see that justice is served.

Be Less offended. Be more forgiving. It is a challenge we would all be better off accepting. Can you imagine the peace we would feel inside as we released all the burdens that we could do nothing about anyways? Imagine the darkness that we carry being lifted from our hearts and minds as we accepted those truths? Imagine the weight being lifted from our shoulders, and the burden of justice being placed upon the shoulders of the only one who already bore that burden in an eternal effort to free us of the burden of guilt, whether that is our own, or that is the guilt of another. Jesus Christ made it possible for us to place those burden upon his shoulders. It is a cross that even He shuddered at. There is no mortal man who could possibly bare that weight which caused even God to bleed from every pore.  Accept his gift and be less offended and more forgiving.  

In and Out of a Midlife Crisis

Coming up on my 30 year reunion I am forced to face some issues that I really didn't want to deal with. I was not a huge fan of High School, probably because I developed some pretty stinky thinking that I still battle today. I barely graduated with a 2.0. That made me dumb. I knew I wasn't, but that was the label I gave myself. I find it quite ironic that most of my friends were super scholarly and geared toward academics. The football team just assumed that I was an academic type, and I thought of myself as pretty intelligent, but those damn grades just kept translating into "loser." I promised myself that one day I would write a book. Labeling myself as dumb was a huge mistake. I knew that label meant no good jobs for me, because to be successful you had to get a degree and the thought of going back to school was overwhelmingly painful. The minimum wage mentality was a huge wall and I built it myself brick by horrifying brick, and have battled tearing it down for most of my adult life. It is frustrating to me to see others who I knew were not nearly as capable as myself making far more money than myself. I know it is a mental issue, but it is real, to me, as the ground I walk on and the house I live in.


I went to college for a year after my mission, and failed miserably at the one thing I so desperately

wanted to succeed at, writing. I wanted to learn to express myself so other people could understand what was going through my head. I can relate to so many people, but I struggle connecting with anyone. I have always been a day dreamer and feel great empathy for people. I sometimes feel far more than I wish I did. I seem to be able to feel what others feel, but for some reason I don't feel the same way that others feel. I feel like I lack a normal sense of emotions. I have never been diagnosed, but I would say that my attention span is pretty short, my thoughts are often scattered and to try and concentrate on anything is nearly impossible. I would call myself A.D.D., not having the "hyper" part of attention deficit, which kind of makes me sad, because I wish I had more energy. Anyways, back on track.


I have had several jobs, but I have managed to stay away from any jobs that would fast track me to a comfortable living. And the battle between what I truly feel in my heart and what I think in my head concerning success is a constant battle for supremacy with casualties on both sides of the war. I usually end up taking the position of inferiority. Not healthy I know, but it is the war I am engaged in. And it is not because I don't think I am anything special, I just see everyone else as better than myself. I am prone to depression, which I know tends to darken how I view myself and so I try to counter act it by learning new things, for the past several years it has been through my writing, photography, and as of late I started singing karaoke to get myself over the discomfort of hearing my own voice.

My wife and I have been married 25 years, I don't feel that I have been the husband that she deserves, nor the one I saw myself being when I asked her to marry me. I haven't been the father that I pictured myself being when I dreamed of being a father. I dreamed that I would have a dozen children, but I ended up with 3. And we had to rely upon miracles for each one of them. I guess you could say that I feel like my life is out of my control, and I realize it is my fault. I am responsible for the decisions I made, or didn't make.


Before you think that I am ungrateful I want you to know that I feel blessed beyond measure. I am happy more days than not. I accept that if life were only smiles and sunshine I might not recognize how good my life really is. You see my life is exactly what it needs to be in order for me to become who I am suppose to be. I can look back and see where my lack of money has been a blessing, where not having more children allowed me to have the children I do have, and my A.D.D has given me insights and empathies that I might

not have had otherwise. I would be a completely different person without the baggage I carry. I have been given gifts that I might have ignored had I been given the rosy path. I do dream of more, but I am grateful for what I do have. I have not given up, but sometimes it is hard facing the reality that I am not where I thought I would be, nor where I want to be...except I am.


I love the fact that I live in my old neighborhood. Sure I would like a nicer home, but my children live right down the street from my mother, and I can't think of a better living situation than having my mom's influence on my children. Someday maybe I will have a nicer home, but in all reality I am having a blast creating my world around me where I am.

I guess when it comes down to it, I think that there are more people like me than not. I am an average Joe, who struggles to get out of bed some days and can't wait for the next vacation. I live paycheck to almost paycheck and despite all of the things that may seem to be depressing and unfulfilled in my life. Life is good. I still have many chapters to write.

So, coming up on my 30 year reunion I have struggled with the thoughts that I would have anything to contribute to a reunion celebrating a time in my life that I left behind with mixed emotions. I loved my friends, but left feeling like I was unprepared to face the world. I didn't keep up with my friends. Although I have, on occasion, run into several of them and have enjoyed visiting with them. So, despite the fact that the definition that once was the muscle I sported in high school has given way to the latest fad of the "dad bod," and I feel like my life has not turned out exactly as I have planned it, I am planning on attending my reunion. Not to brag about my accomplishments, but to reconnect with people that I have learned have gone through just as much as I have and have turned out to be pretty dang good people.

What Voting My Conscience Got Me That Voting Third Party Couldn't

What did voting my conscience get me that voting third party couldn't?

Here are some of the things that I learned:

First, I learned that you can not turn your conscience on and off without consequences. I already knew this, but I see it much more clearly as our nation has set aside her conscience each election cycle for years choosing rather to vote out of fear or anger. Some have called it voting for the lesser of two evils, but I see clearly now that it didn't really matter which side you chose both parties have been moving in the same direction.

I have learned that every election is either voting for your conscience or against your conscience, period. There are other options than that of the two party system. The two party system is a made up system that has been perpetuated by the big two parties to the masses either scared or angry. It is much easier to control a people that way, and in fear and anger men will seek to give more and more power to their leaders, and they will be willing to buy that power with their freedom, until they finally end up with a tyrant who will save them from the monster. 

I have learned that there is a difference between the #neveracandidate voters, the third party voters, and those who are truly voting their conscience. As #neveracandidate voters are those who are clearly voting against someone and they will find anyone who they think will possibly beat their unchosen candidate. The third party voters are those who have vested themselves in a party outside of the big two, and are voting for their investment. Those who vote their conscience don't want to be controlled by the voices of fear, anger, and the anxiety that comes from the rhetoric of the candidates and their supporters. They simply want to feel at peace with their vote, come win or lose, they can live with the consequences, because they used their head and followed their intuition, or the voice of their God.

I have also learned a lot about the wisdom that our founding fathers had in setting up the foundation of our country in the Constitution. I have especially been fascinated by the Electoral College. Some have said they don't like it at all and would like to get rid of it, but this one principle alone has the potential of saving us, quite frankly from our own emotional decisions. The electoral college does not protect us from a landslide victory of any candidate. However, it makes it possible for us to stop two bad candidates, because it is not about who gets the most individual votes. They have to get a majority of the Electoral votes, which makes it much easier for the people to vote according their conscience if a voice appears to represent them better than the ones the two main parties have given them. This may not bode well with the parties, because it makes it harder for them to control the people, but it was not set up to empower the parties. Most of the rules surrounding the electing of the Electoral college have been set up to favor or encourage a two party system, but it was not created by the Constitution. Each state has set up its own system, most states have adopted and winner takes all, but some have not. Some states can divide their vote. This Electoral College is what keeps us from becoming a democracy despite the desires of the two parties.

The two party system has effectively turned us into a democracy rather than a democratic republic. When we only have two choices then we pick sides and the majority rules. Unfortunately our side might not represent us on the majority of issues, but the other side scares us because of they go against our core principles. So, we will have to ignore a lot of our own core beliefs and either adopt the parties core beliefs or be dissatisfied with our representation. Over time dissatisfaction leads to anxiety, but when we try to jump ship we keep looking at the other side, and it scares us so we stay on board. This leads to anger at our own party for not representing our values and principles and fear of the other party, because they are somehow are worse. Which brings us to where we are today. Today we have people voting out of anger for their own party and against the other party. They don't even like the one they are voting for, but anger and fear motivate their vote and when it comes right down to it in a democracy the party does not care who votes for them only that they do for them.

I have learned that party loyalty, in some cases, is stronger than religious convictions. The first casualty of elections is principles. When our fears become bigger than our principles then we will justify our principles and vote our fears when only two choices are available. This is again the danger of a democracy or a two party system.

I have learned that my voice means something whether my candidate wins or loses. My vote is a witness of my private values and a representation of my principles. If I vote for someone that does not carry my values and or espouse the principles which I hold sacred then I have wasted my vote. There is no such thing as a wasted vote except the one cast on someone you do not feel carries your principles and values. There is a certain peace that you experience when you realize that the only thing you have control over is your vote. You cannot determine the outcome, so when you answer to God I really don't think he is going to ask you if your vote was for a winner, only if you voted in good conscience, and that can only be answered by you.

I have learned that under the influence of fear and anger people cannot be reasoned with. We become irrational and devoid of critical thinking functions. We may feel we are perfectly logical in our thinking, but our mind is closed and we are easily influenced by fear and anger. We accept far reaching accusations without any solid evidence. And in fact if evidence is presented we turn it away and refuse to believe it.

I have learned that if we allow ourselves to belong to a party we likely will only see the best in our candidate and the worst in our opponents. We are more likely to justify the actions of our own candidate and willing to accept even non-factual accusations against anyone else. We cloud our judgment with such loyalty that we are willing to let our own credibility come under question.  I have learned that it really is about who owns the (D) or the (R) by their name and nothing else. Sadly, policies don't matter once you are the candidate. Your past positions don't matter, it is all about the initial next to your name and your ability to collect votes. It is a game with high stakes. This is the hypocrisy of politics.

I have learned that people can be manipulated by a carrot in front of them or a bear on their butt. The master fisherman is a marketing genius, they know their bait and they know their prey. But most of all they know how to hide the hook.

I have learned Faith is a casualty during elections. When we are more concerned about the outcome of an election than we are about protecting the integrity of our vote, we have lost the most precious thing we have in our vote. To place our faith on the alter before politicians seems to be a sacrifice that I am not willing to make. In the end the Lord scatters his people and gathers them in, both are for our blessing. The one to help us see the light, the other to help us enjoy the light. 

Sometimes the Lord scatters his people, sometimes he gathers them, but it always works for our blessing. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but when things get really bad some of us look to God for deliverance, some of us look to politicians to deliver us. I do not judge anyone with this statement, I don't know your conscience. That is between you and God. 

I learned that even though most people profess to believe that the two party system is corrupt they will fall in line when given two corrupt choices. It is insanity to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results, but it is hard to root out insanity when it comes to elections. We are all sheep being pushed forward by two sheep dogs the one on the right and on the left, both leading us through fear and anger.

Most of all what I have learned is that voting your conscience is more than voting simply because you are against someone or someones, it is more than voting third party. Voting your conscience is about giving your values and your principles a voice whether you win or not, I can tell you that your vote is not wasted. You will be heard, as evidenced in the name calling and bullying that happens even among friends.

The image I will take with me this election is a bucket of crabs nipping at the heals of all the sheeples that are clamoring to try and get out of the bucket. 

Momma Pheasant And The Third Party Vote

Honestly I am scared of a Hillary presidency. However, I am more scared that we have already lost our conscience. I believe that the rejection of our conscience is a greater threat than anyone who might be elected. Character does matter. Integrity does matter. Our vote does matter.

Our founding fathers made our vote highly symbolic in a representative government. This symbol being our vote equals our conscience, our character, our integrity. We should seek out honest men of sound character who will represent our own character and integrity as well as the principles that we feel are best in governing under the Constitution.

How have we lost our conscience? We proclaim the virtue of competition in all things but voting. When it comes to elections 2 parties is all that count. If you vote outside that framework you are voting for the evilest of the candidates. Third parties have now taken on the mantle of the vilest of parties. Fear is a powerful motivator, it blocks the effects of conscience, it creates irrational thoughts, and it justifies uncharacteristic treatment of others. Fear causes us to act against our better judgment (conscience). This is how we lose our conscience, we fear the outcome more than we fear the solution.

I call this the pheasant syndrome. In the classic Disney movie Bambi, hunters enter the meadow and a mother pheasant begins to panic. In her panic the logical thing to do is flee from danger as fast as possible, so she takes flight and is shot dead. She would have been better to have stayed calm and not panicked. The real solution was to stay close to the ground. I have walked on top of a pheasant that understood this principle and it got away because I was unprepared to deal with a pheasant between my feet. He flew, but he did not panic, he stayed low and disappeared as quickly as possible.

Voting your conscience is not about voting for another candidate, or against another candidate. It simply means you are voting for the person you feel has the best character and will represent you, your principles, and your values best. Those who would attempt to make you feel otherwise simply are more scared of the outcome than they are of the real solution.