The Great Mandate Wars of 2012 have officially begun tonight in my household. I knew they would, since I am rather more moderate in my politics than my parents are, but I wish it hadn't happened so soon. I got home early Sunday evening, and I was hoping for at least a week or so at home before the needling and political spats started up. If you read my blog posts from last summer, you'll see that political arguments with my folks are nothing new, but they still bother me a great deal, especially since my parents don't seem to take too kindly to the fact that I went from having very similar political opinions to theirs to having quite different ones, and I'm not afraid to let that show. In any event, we've now entered the battlefield, and we won't exit it until I leave for Washington in mid-July.
Now in spite of the fact that we're all Democrats (much to the chagrin of my Republican friends at school), I've pretty much broken with the party on the social issues on which it and the Church disagree, and have sided with the Church. I do not do this out of spite or blind faith, but because I have read and researched these positions and issues, have thought them out, and have reached the same conclusions as the Church. I have no problem with this, although it does make voting a predicament, and ignoring all the cajoling from the other side of the isle, I will not register as a Republican because I do not see the world the way the Republican party does, nor do I desire to.
One thing I will say for this HHS Mandate is that it forces me to keep up with the news more than I ordinarily would. I have mentioned before that I am not keen on politics and why, but in spite of myself, I know that I should still be paying attention because that is what will make me a responsible voter. Another thing is that my mother loves debates, and to keep on top of my game with her means keeping on top of literally every new development in the situation. Additionally, it has forced me to look up some Church teachings and stances again, and become more familiar with what they say and why they say it. It's an exhausting game to play, but a necessary one, I suppose for a responsible American voter and Catholic.
If you haven't been hearing/reading/seeing about this situation with the HHS Mandate, I suggest you research it. It is a very important issue in terms of the Constitution, what's going on in the Church in America, and for all Catholics (and indeed, all serious people of faith), I think it should be an integral issue in the election this fall. I won't tell anyone how to vote, but I personally will not be voting for President Obama. I cannot do it in good conscience, although that does not mean that I will necessarily be voting for Governor Romney, either. I won't indulge in melodrama and say this election is going to effect the course of every American's entire life, but you would be a fool to think that what it means for the next four years is not enormously important.
I hope that everyone who reads this blog has the chance to get into one lively discussion with someone about the topic, but I hope that you will all be spared sharing the experience of the Great Mandate Wars of 2012. In the meantime, please pray that I will have patience and maturity in discourse on the matter, and of course, that Catholic institutions will have their conscience rights protected by law now as they have been in the past.
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