Why Am I A Republican?

I’ve heard this question from friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers. It's a fairly simple and yet poignant question. It could be asked a couple of ways, and yet I always hear it like this:

"Why are you a Republican?"

Being me, I have a lot of sarcastic answers I could give:

"Why not?"
"God made me this way!"
"Please don't ask me that question with salami breath!"
...and a lot more of the same.

Of course, there's always the more in-depth approach, the analytical answers:

“My parents and grandparents were Republicans, and their parents…”
“I believe that America will only become truly great with a Republican in the White House”
…and so on and so forth.

Here’s the thing, though. I’m not just a person who takes what I’ve been told and just blindly accept it. I wasn’t raised that way.

You should also know that I am a Christian. I consider myself a pretty strong one, at that. With every failure I make, every bad thought, every scream at a crazy driver, I know what I believe. And I believe, not just with faith, but by studying inside and outside the Bible. I became a Republican the same way.

So, now you’re saying, “Great, another wacko Christian Republican, time to get the Steemit out of here!”

Don’t leave! I just have a few more things to say. I haven’t even gotten to the good part!

Why am I a Republican?

I love this country. If this country had a name (other than the one it has), it would be mine. Why? Because just like me, this country fails. Just like me, this country has problems. Just like me, this country could be great if only I could make my stupid brain (and heart and bad back and stomach…) just work together. You know, the way God intended it to be?

Now, as to being Republican, I had to explain to my children a while back why I didn’t vote for Mr. Obama. It wasn’t because he wasn’t white (is it sad that I felt I couldn’t use his color here?). It wasn’t because I didn’t like him personally. I don’t know him. Mainly, I didn’t feel he had the experience. Oh, and he wasn’t Republican. (BTW, the same reasons I didn't vote for Mr. Trump in the primaries!)

Then it occurred to me that I had the answer, right in the Declaration of Independence. And here’s what I said:

I believe we have three God-given, unalienable rights:
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Wow. It seems so simple. But wait! There’s more:

I believe in Life for every person, especially those that are unborn and can’t protect themselves. A great life. A full life.

I believe in Liberty, the right to do what I want without oppressive Government intrusion. The Bill of Rights is a great place to start.

And I believe in the Pursuit of Happiness. My money belongs to me unless I choose to give it away. I can be what I want to be without someone telling me what to do. I can be a musician, an author, a truck driver, a Policeman, or even the President of the United States.

I believe that these three things are what separate Republicans from Democrats. And they are huge ideas! I believe it was Charles Krauthammer who coined the phrase, “Republicans believe Democrats are wrong. Democrats think Republicans are evil.”

When did this become a holy war between our political parties? Also, why is our President limited to two terms and yet Congress is lifetime?

Argh! So many questions, and yet…

We all have red blood flowing through our veins. We are all LITERALLY the same. (yes, there’s differences, you know what I mean!)

I don’t have all the answers. Heck, I barely have ‘some’ answers. I just wish we could stop all the name calling and actually discuss our differences.

If we really love our country, and its people, it shouldn’t be that hard to come up with a solution.