Why I am a : Liberal

It is time to answer that question, and I hope that those of you that read this will do so with an open mind. It has been a question many of my followers have asked me (all 21 of you I am pretty sure) and it is time I answered the deep, dark, unnerving question of why am I, Ruby De Santiago, a liberal?

1. Let's begin with my birth. My parents were teenagers when they had me. They had just gotten married 9 months earlier and I was their blessed honeymoon baby. Like many teen parents, I was their first experimentation on the parenting subject. Not only that, but I was born with tons of health issues ( I have had more death experiences than Fidel Castro, no joke). Anyway, my parents were not US citizens at the time and didn't know about the health care (medicaid) benefits in the great state of California and all the other great things it had to offer low-income citizens. They paid off hundreds of thousands of dollars to expensive doctors in order to keep me alive (thank you parents! Aren't you glad you kept me alive and well??). How did they do this? By working 3 jobs, nights/weekends, and all the while being great parents. I had a happy childhood filled with love, visits to the doctor, and feeling the Spirit every time I nearly died (this came in handy when I met the missionaries and decided to join the church!). In this quest of staying alive and watching my parents survive, I decided very early on that I would be the best I could be and to work my hardest in school. All of those awards from elementary school given to straight A students, top readers, etc. were my driving force. I competed with kids who had the cookie-cutter live: you know the ones I'm talking about, their moms stayed home, their dad's brought home the bread, and they played soccer. At the time, I didn't know my life was any different from theirs, I just knew I had to work a lot harder than they did to get to where I needed to be.

2. Let's fast forward to high school, the greatest moments ever lived by some people while the rest of us have decided to put those "great years" behind us. I was a minority. It wasn't until I reached adulthood that I realized I had been bullied. At the time I just performed lots of vodoo on people I didn't like (sorry if you're reading this and you have a third eye, I probably tried that on you). Just kidding, I wasn't involved with vodoo at all. High school was a fun time for me, I met some great friends I still keep in contact with, and I started to grow into myself. It was also a terrible time. I was called every racial slur you can think of. I was told I would never be as beautiful as "so and so" because I was Mexican. I was taunted by other Hispanic kids because I was too "white-washed." I pretty much hated my outer appearance and wished I had been born with my sister's light complexion. I wanted to fit in. I wanted that boy I liked so much in high school to be proud of being my almost boyfriend. Instead he ignored me in school and only talked to me in the mornings, after school, and on the weekends. I believed that if I had been lighter, more American-looking, he would have wanted to be my boyfriend.

3. I am an avid history fanatic. I am a firm believer in NOT having history repeat itself. How does this make me a liberal?? Let's just look at American history: slavery, civil rights violations, etc. We have overcome a lot as a nation by overturning slavery, placing Civil Rights Laws into effect, and learning that we cannot judge a book by its cover. I love culture and I love diversity. It is what has made this country great. Whether you are gay/straight, short/tall, funny/boring, ugly/beautiful, black/white/yellow/orange skin, or if you are asexual, I don't care. What I do care about is whether you are nice to other people, work hard at bettering yourself and our country, and making sure you keep to yourself while I can choose to believe and practice whatever it is I like to do (you do you and I'll do me).

4. I believe in having a social welfare program. I think as children of God we have the duty of taking care of one another. I really like the one my church as in place. We take care of our own and it has worked very well for the last 75+ years the church welfare program has been in effect.Now I know there are people who mooch off the government. Shame on them! We cannot take away something that helps the general good only because there are some (sometimes a lot) who ruin it for everyone. I know what it's like to be hungry from not being able to afford food or not be able to sleep from stress of where the money from rent is going to come. I also know what it's like to work 3 jobs to provide for a family. I'm currently doing so. I don't qualify for medicaid even though I am a single mother. That would be ok if my son didn't have to do physical therapy twice a week ($75 a pop), visit a neurologist (average of $250 a visit) or have MRI's ($2,500 anyone??). But whatever state of Arkansas... I'm not angry or bitter. In fact, I look really good because I'm on the run so much I don't have time to watch TV, eat junk, and gain weight. So HA!

5. FREEDOM. Freedom covers a lot of things. I think our forefathers were forward thinkers when it came to freedom. I think Civil Rights are in essence, what will help us come out of the Cave and become Educated (allegory of the cave anyone??) I want to believe/practice/do whatever I want to do within reason. I don't have the right to infringe my believes on anyone else. I would be absolutely miserable if someone infringed my rights and wanted me to live my life according to their ideas. Part of believing in our agency and right to choose is allowing others to do the very same. We don't have to agree with it but we also don't have a right to tell others how to live according to our honor code. 

6. I like Bill Clinton. Sure he has a terrible personal life and I DO NOT condone his cheating or lying under oath in front of the whole world, but he made a significant difference and reached out in order to keep us as a world power to other countries. He did a great job while in office. This isn't why I'm a liberal, but I do like Bill and needed a picture to post

7. EDUCATION. Have you noticed how EDUCATION always seems to get cut?? What the heck are we thinking politicians??!!! We are educating our future leaders, business people, etc. and we choose to cut them first? Great, that's why China and India are kicking our mental butt right now. Also- I think teachers are highly underpaid and over-worked but I think that's a post for a later time. I think if we're going to spend money we don't have, we might as well spend it on our kids and bettering their future.

8. PEACE: Have you seen crime rates in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands? Yeah I never hear about them either. They also have excellent gun control and I think that with all the shootings that have taken place, enforcing some kind of gun control here would be a great idea.

9. I think Joseph Smith was a liberal. That's right I just said that. This is a personal belief. Honestly though, he set up a welfare system, tried at establishing a new government, printed his own money, AND did not set any prejudices upon any man. He welcomed African Americans as well as Native Americans to the fold. He did not discriminate due to skin color (a huge issue back then and a topic that  is still rather sensitive in the church sometimes). Any man of God who welcomed all into the fold is a great guy by my standards.

10. Progressive Tax: Yes I think many will disagree with me but it is my belief that people in certain brackets should pay more taxes. Ideally, it would be great if we could all pay 10% of our incomes but I also don't want the United States ran by the LDS church. I think it would be great to get an LDS candidate in office but I would vote for him according to his political/economical platforms rather than his religious beliefs. Back to taxes: They are important and they are what keep us afloat (minus the part where we are in zillions of dollars in debt)

11. Universal Healthcare: I have been a diabetic for 18 years. Once I hit 18 I haven't been covered by anyone. Why?? I have a pre-existing condition. Since I can't afford medical care right now, I pray I don't get sick, I stick to healthy eating, and as my body kills itself off, I hope my son will be taken care of because this illness will kill me. I have no way to pay $300 a month for healthcare insurance. Yet, I don't qualify for medicaid. Irony, anyone? For those of you who oppose universal healthcare: do you believe that I deserve to die because I can't afford to pay for healthcare? OR- there's the opposite effect where I will live to be 65 but will have all of my limbs cut off and by then you're money will be paying my medical bills to keep me barely alive. The real question is: shouldn't we take care of ourselves now in order to prevent worse issues in the future?? It's called PRE-EMPTIVE measures everyone.

12. Stem-cell Research: This is one near to my heart because I grew up in Children's Hospitals. You don't know how many kids I saw sick and learned of their deaths simply because there was no answer to their issues at the time. I am familiar with death and though I do not fear it, I hate to see the slow progressive deaths so many people go through in order to meet their end. It's absolutely horrifying. My disease is like that. It attacks your internal organs and then works itself like a cancer around the body. If someone told me there was a way to fix a pancreas, you bet your bottom dollar I would be there in a heartbeat. I want to live! I want to be around to see Max go to prom and dance and go on a mission! I would love to not have to think about spending $2,000 on medication to keep me normal. Oh wait, I don't spend that money because I don't have it so I'm not really normal right now...

13. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: need we go back and see what happened during the great European wars when they were run by religious zealots? I think not.

14. GUN CONTROL: I love shooting guns as much as the next person (I really do). I'm actually better at shooting than most men I've gone shooting with (they only take me once) but that doesn't mean I want easy access to guns. I'm all for the 2nd amendment and being able to defend ourselves. I'm not all for crazies buying guns. We need better screening in that department.

15. This is a sidenote: I don't vote Liberal every time on the ballot. I go with who I believe has my best interests in mind and last time I was a big fan of Ron Paul and voted for him. Yes I did write his name in. I was also in the most conservative county in the whole United States but I casted my vote just the same.

*I don't want to use the I-was-a-minority-woman-and-know-what-it's-like-to-be-judged-card. But I just did. I grew up among very conservative people (many of these people I love so much, would do anything for regardless of political stances) and I tried so hard for years to be one too. I have a basic conservative nature: I wear modest clothing, I don't like suggestive or ugly language, I take showers, and I think that if we all work hard we can experience the American Dream. Life yourselves up by your bootstraps people!- But if you can't that's why there is help for that.

I'm currently more of a liberal libertarian, but still a liberal and still a Mormon. Love it!