Questionably Conservative

Martha Hyvonen, St. Ignatius

I'm writing to respectfully address any fellow voters who are feeling pretty confident in their plan to vote the "conservative" ticket in the upcoming presidential election. Does it bring up any recall of a similar feeling of certainty you may have had as you elected and then re-elected George W. Bush?

And what is it about the Republican party that earned it a "conservative" label? I am very much in favor of conserving resources, and of preserving our individual rights, conserving tax dollars, and our natural resources-our planet. But for wanting to keep a "liberal" mind when it comes to listening to the candidates with regard to the issues, and not have preconceived notions about what someone from a political party stands for. Listening to John McCain's paternal approach in his effort to assure the American public that we can trust his judgment to handle the job leaves me conflicted. After all, we have just seen for eight years that it's critical that the president have the judgment to surround himself with well-qualified people (if only that had occurred).

But then McCain chose a vice-presidential candidate whose strengths have yet to be determined; we'll know more and have a chance to see those strengths, but for now the brushing-up period is still underway. We do know that Sarah Palin is able to deliver a sassy critique of the other side, and she reminds us that McCain is a gosh-darn solid maverick who will look to the future rather than looking back.

That "tax and spend liberal" Bill Clinton left office with a balanced budget. How does that fit with all this labeling?

It would make more sense for voters to tune in and listen and real about the huge challenges facing us and our elected officials, and drop the labels that really aren't accurate. As voters we better recognize that the stakes are huge. Going with what we've always done will likely get us more of what we've already endured, and we're circling the drain.