Election Morning From Far Away

I am still a homeowner in the state of Texas.  The company I work for is headquartered in the state of Texas.  One day, I plan for us to return to the wonderful state of Texas.

So, I very much care about how the local and national elections shake out in the United States.  However, the adamant, staunch pledges I used to take, even 1 year back, are gone.

In 2000, I volunteered for the Gore/Lieberman campaign (GASP!!!).  I remember flying back from school in Massachusetts to Texas during one of the breaks with Gore/Lieberman stickers proudly displayed all over my luggage.  I would loudly proclaim to anyone in front of me how wrong it was to be a Republican, how evil it was to not care for your fellow man and that by that view, it was unlikely anyone who voted Republican cared about anyone but themselves.

Then, just a few years later, I got married.  My husband and I moved out of the dorm rooms into a tiny apartment without a working thermostat to work the heater, a water heater that actually lost its bottom one morning and windows apparently low enough to where a “Peeping Tom” was busted and arrested staring into our bedroom (while we were still inside).  My husband began working two jobs while finishing  school and I worked a relatively miserable job at an insurance company as an English/Spanish customer service call translator in Birmingham, AL.  Each month, we would work to fill a coffee mug with tip money, leftover cash after buying groceries and just be thankful that my job gave us medical and dental insurance.  I decided to stop my undergrad studies until I had paid down every penny of the credit card debt I had thoughtlessly racked up during my first two years of college. 

Something happened during that time period.  We were so happy, even with so little.  We worked so hard and got to spend such little time together.  In order to spend dinner together as newlyweds on Friday and Saturday nights, I would cook dinner for us, pack it into containers and ride around in my husband’s car as he delivered pizzas.  I would finally get sleepy and drive myself back around 11pm, waiting for him to finish his shift, help clean up the restaurant and be home by around 1 or 2am.

As graduation date approached for him, we began developing a plan to move us forward.  We would leave Birmingham, AL for Texas, where high-paying jobs seemed plentiful.  At that time, he was making his mind up on continuing into law school.

He had looked into a couple of law schools and we decided to make the move.  I didn’t know how things would work out and looking back,  I would never have moved without a guaranteed job in place, but we had faith.  We had faith in our persistence, drive, ambition and ability to not merely continue to survive, but to begin excelling. 

We asked and received little help from our families, even in true moments of panic (like when we arrived and couldn’t find good jobs for 2 months).  It was our problem.  We had pride.  It wasn’t pride in a “sinful” manner, but it was that we saw ourselves as being responsible adults.  We had made this decision and now, we had to find a way.  We finally found jobs, Adam began a path to start the MBA program and to become a CPA.  I finished paying my credit card debt and started school again while working at more low-paying jobs at small accounting & tax firms. 

Just one year after moving to Texas, we became first-time home owners.  There was a fresh wave of taxes to pay with that transaction!  I started really noticing and being frustrated at how much of my money was going to government funding.  There were federal, state, local, county…on and on and on….

The final blow came about two years later.  I had started working where I work now and for the first time, received a performance bonus.  I had worked extremely long hours (full time) while finishing up my bachelor’s degree (also going to school full time).  I was always tired, had little in the way of a social life…but that bonus check, I thought to myself, would make it all worth it.  I nearly cried when I saw how much of it was deducted for taxes.  I genuinely felt like my willingness to go above and beyond, though being rewarded by my company, came with a penalty from my government. 

It brought rage in me.  All those years, working to make myself better…then working to compete amongst my coworkers…and the government was taking a massive chunk as a “Thank you”!

I decided, in that moment, I was no longer a Democrat. 

My liberal stance on all social issues was untouched.  I continued believing everyone should be able to live their life as they pleased, so long as it didn’t hurt others.  However, I now believed Democrats impacted our little family in enough of a negative fashion, that I was willing to turn a blind eye to every other social policy we had in common.  While others didn’t work as hard as we did, they were still being rewarded by their policies by taking a piece of whatever I earned…to give to them.  (Over time, I realized my social views were so different than that of traditional Republicans, I didn’t completely fit in with them either, but I could not be a Democrat). 

Little by little, we both moved up in our company…and with each move, we were rewarded with…more taxes.

We kept careful home budgets and made estimates on when we could afford to have kids, and raise them in the way we wanted.  This issue, in particular, made me so angry.  I saw people everywhere “popping out” kids without any regard as to how they would pay for them, relying on government insurance programs, childcare tax credits, public schools funded by other home owners in their communities who were waiting for the “right time” to have kids.

We began approaching our 30s and began thinking the “right time” had arrived.  Now, we realized we had to face a new problem…we may have waited too long! 

I won’t drag this post into the battle we faced to have a baby, but just know, it was a battle.

Then, this year, as we finally received the blessing of a healthy pregnancy, we also received the news we would be moving to the Middle East.

Feeling the responsibility of bringing a baby into a safe environment, watching big world news play out in our new backyard and just across the bay (in Iran) and living amongst a culture far more conservative than anything at home...

Well, it just opens your eyes.  The world is not black-and-white.  So many things here make me homesick.  I don’t want to go into the detail about what I like or dislike, but just know that it’s different, so very drastically different in every way imaginable. 

There are obvious perks to living here and there are obvious challenges.  One thing is certain: it is not home. 

I look back at my political views over the last 10 years.  I had moments of extremism.  However, in my late teens and early twenties, I put my extremist liberal views to an overall lack of experience in the “real world.”  Then, my swing to an extremist conservative stance came as a reaction to what I felt were unfair financial policies.

In the last election, I wrote in my vote for Hillary Clinton, even after she had stepped down to allow Obama to take the Democratic lead.  I didn’t agree with McCain’s policies and I simply felt Obama was too inexperienced for the executive office.  I felt, at that time, Hillary Clinton was middle-of-the-road enough to not interfere with an economy badly needing a boost while not being overly pushy with social issues to push the country into deep divisiveness.

I love the passion everyone has shown for their favored candidate this year.  However, it is something else to call another candidate by an insulting name, claim something in regards to what religion they are or what that religion may mean (speaking to both those accusing Obama of being a Muslim and those who make uninformed comments about Mormonism). 

I waited a long time to announce how I voted.  This time, I voted for Mitt Romney.  I had my concerns about his “sabre rattling” on Middle East policies (considering where we live).  Mostly, my decision was based on financial policies.   

This is the first time I have voted for a Republican and actually meant my vote.  In truth, I have only voted for a Republican candidate one other time, when I voted for Bush Jr over John Kerry.  Mr. Kerry completely turned me off with his speeches and policies.  So that time, I felt it was the lesser of two I disliked (notice I don’t say evil – and I cannot believe those who have called either Obama or Romney evil). I truly believe both men running for office love their country.  Each has incredibly different views on the direction it should take.  As a soon-to-be-parent, what I viewed as the best path forward aligned more with Mr. Romney.

Though I believed and still believe Mr. Obama did not have the executive experience to lead within the first term,  I hope that he has learned enough and is willing to work with Republicans to move the country forward. 

I hope he can shun those in his party who intend on continuing to do their work with little compromise.  Half the country voted for someone else.  Half the country felt that the election was a performance review of his first term and that he deserved to be fired.  As a leader, I hope he goes into his second term not only appeasing his base, but willing to work with and understand what that other half would like to see. 

I’m glad election season is over.   As I scrolled through social media in the last few weeks and then this morning after results began rolling in, I was disheartened by hateful name-calling for the incumbent and comments attempting to be harsh to those who supported the challenger. 
I think there will be financial ramifications to this election.  Plainly put, businesses don’t like Obama’s policies.  Like others, I have a certain amount of fear of what that could mean.  I pray Mr. Obama will find middle ground, let the economy recover without too much interference and frequently reach across party lines. 

Also, I hope that voters, especially those with small children-exposing them to their first election, teach them to respond to the results with class & respect. The best path forward may be murky, but the way we should treat one another is clear. 

Come on America, show some grace!