I have long been open to friendships with people who don't think just like I do. It makes for interesting conversations if nothing else. It has the potential to help you reinforce why you believe what you believe when someone challenges you.
Sadly, an acquaintance of mine is both clueless to reality and doesn't even know why he believes what he does. Therefore, having a conversation with him is more like trying to talk to a rock and have intelligent dialogue.
A radio station in the city I live in recently flipped formats from the music format they had to talk radio. The radio station group that owns the station already has a very successful AM talk radio station, so the FM station is now simulcasting the AM lineup.
The previously mentioned clueless rock said "as long as it doesn't have morons like Sean Hannity and that idiot Herman Cain I might listen."
Idiots? Hmm, let's take a look at Herman.
Let's just start with that "idiot" Herman Cain. I had the chance to speak with Herman recently at a fund-raiser for a candidate running for U.S. Congress and I will tell you that this is no idiot. I can see how someone might disagree with his social ideology, but calling him an idiot is, well, idiotic. This is a guy who brought a failing corporation (Godfather's Pizza) back from the edge of complete failure and into a profitable area in just two years.
He's also running a successful radio show where he speaks about a common sense approach to business and how politicians should think more like a CEO as it relates to balancing our national and state budgets. The reality is that spending the country further into debt doesn't make any sense. You don't see CEOs spend the company they are responsible into massive debt in an effort to jolt the economy back to growing. Anyone that thinks with logic and considers the realistic impact of the nonsensical liberal ideas about growing the economy looks at that idea and will tell you it just doesn't make any sense.
There is a difference between spending money to make money (logical investments) and creating government programs that everyone knows won't do a single thing whatsoever to spur the economy. Someone who has worked as a business owner or CEO understands this.
As for Sean Hannity, he's brilliant. He consistently responds to the liberal blabber with points that actually make sense. Just as it relates to liberal ideas on spending and stimulating the economy, Sean speaks truth about how liberal ideas just don't work. He doesn't just kick out talking points. Take a listen with an open mind and you'll likely start leaning a lot more to the right. It makes sense. The liberals aggressive shift further into Socialism doesn't make sense for our great nation. We didn't become a successful country by starting that way. We won't end strong by continuing down that path.
Liberals who are committed to growing government handout programs need to not only be out of office, they ought to just leave the U.S. and go to a country that supports their Socialist ideals. While Obama one the electorate vote and the popular vote by a slim margin, the reality is that the majority of Americans do NOT support those ideals. In truth, only about 10% of Americans voted for Obama. Based on many recent polls, it's safe to say another 10% that didn't vote also support those ideals. That leaves the 10% that voted for McCain/Palin and the other 70% who have been brainwashed by liberal media and liberal ideas in school that voting is not important and that their one vote doesn't count.
The majority of people in this country believe that hard work should be rewarded. That flies in the face of Socialism. 80% of business in this country is done by small businesses (anything less than 100 employees). Have a conversation with a business owner about spending their way into oblivion as a business and ask them if they think that astronomical debt would actually generate a positive cash-flow. The answer in every case will be a resounding NO.
Mid-term elections have already started to show more people waking up to vote out the liberal idiots with ideas that don't work. We need to finish the mid-term elections in November by sending the final signal for the bigger, better change. A change of ideology come 2012 when Obama needs to go away along with all the liberals with horrible ideas that are simply designed to bolster their political position as opposed to helping America grow.
Not only do you need to go vote, you need to be vocal about who you're voting for. One thing liberals have done is to push the idea that it's bad to talk about politics and religion.
People absolutely should be talking about politics and religion.
If you're a Christian and you believe what God said in the Bible, you want people to know His truth. Why would you keep that to yourself? To avoid offending someone? Here, I'm going to risk offending you - I believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he died on the cross for all the bad stuff we've all done or will do, that 3 days later he came back to life and if you believe in him as your personal savior that you'll live forever in heaven with him. There, consider yourself potentially offended. But, I'd rather you know what I believe as it will impact not just your life here, but your life after your body dies.
Now I'm going to talk politics and risk offending you...some more. The 80/20 rule doesn't apply in this category. 80% of business done in the U.S. is driven by small business, which is made of 80% of existing businesses. This is not a case of 80% of business is done by the top 20%. 80% is done by 80%, therefore decisions about business taxes and how taxes affect business owners, their employees and patrons of those businesses should be done with that in mind.
Get out and vote. Vote for conservatives who evidence they are pro small business (helpful if they own a small business). Conservatives (and some Republicans) that think pro small business are thinking about how this affects average, hard-working families - not special interest groups.
Talk about religion and politics if you really care about your friends and family. Spend enough time talking about both subjects so you know they're also making the right decisions about both.
