As a Trump supporter, I am not a very vocal person when it comes to politics. But in response to Webmonkey above, Christians on both the Left and the Right have serious issues when you mix in politics... Most of the New England area Democrats are Catholics, yet they "preach" at the top of their lungs that Abortion is OK, while their Church is "preaching" the exact opposite.
Some people view the definition of help in different ways. Yes, you have been fired from your job due to economic reasons (not performance issues). Unemployment is there in the short term to provide financial assistance until you (hopefully) find another job. WELFARE is a long term version of Unemployment. While I have no issues with unemployment, because it has a fixed end point, I have serious issues with welfare in its current state. There is no time limit (some families have been on welfare for over a decade) and no checks and balances. Being employed, I am subject to random drug and alcohol screenings to keep my job. There is no such requirement for folks on Welfare. If I choose to have children, I must pay for their needs out of my earnings, and my earnings don't increase at the birth of a child. A welfare family receives more money (up to a point) for each additional child they have. I think the limit is eight, but not taking the time to research it right now. Is that really ... fair, equal, even-handed? Not too sure on what word to use.
ANY government assistance program needs to receive money from somewhere, whether it is taxes or the government going further into debt. My father didn't graduate high school, but dropped out when he was 17 to enlist in the Army in WWII. He had to work two jobs to put a roof over his family and enough (sometimes) food on the table. He was a member of a Union, but hated it, even though it provided help to him. His thinking was that he, and by extension, his family had to make do with the choices that he made. He instilled in me a need to be "better"... make good grades in school and graduate, possibly attend college and get a degree. In effect, take ownership of my life and work hard. Don't depend on other people to provide for me, but when the opportunity arises, and it doesn't adversely risk my family, help others when able.
Compare this to people who have made poor choices: getting pregnant in high school, dropping out of high school, abusing alcohol or drugs. While I have compassion for those people, when did it become my responsibility to help them? Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I will help WHEN I can. FORCING me to do something via taxation is not the answer. If I help everyone to the detriment of my family, my health, even my life, where does it end.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY has been lost.
One of the planks in the democratic party was Free College Tuition. I won't quote statistics, because they can be made to validate just about any viewpoint. Contact your local school board, contact one in a large (3 million plus population) city, one in a suburb, and one in the country (county less than 200,000). Check the graduation rates and college attendance rates. You will be shocked at the low graduation rates. One county in my state has a <40% graduation rate in the entering Freshman class for those that graduated in 2015. Those same kids had FREE HIGH SCHOOL education, and only a few took advantage of it. Millions of dollars in student scholarships go unclaimed each year. My company gives out $2,000 a year scholarships to the child of an employee that maintains a 3.5 GPA, and reviews the applications for those with a 2.5 to 3.5 and awards $1,000 scholarships to a percentage of them (not all, but some).
Unfortunately, Greed is a common Sin in the world today. You have something that I don't, so either I can take if from you to get it, or have the government take it from you and share it with me. Some of your comments are blatant generalizations, which does an extreme disservice to both sides. Unfortunately again, these generalizations are being used to separate us, to keep us fighting each other, and, frankly, to control us.
This is why career politicians need to be stopped. By the time a career politician makes it to Washington, he "owes" so many favors to the people who helped him get there that he no longer hears what the people say, but what the lobbyists and his 'closest supporters' want him to hear.... which is to help the supporters. I know it would become cumbersome, but for every bill that is voted on in the House and/or Senate, each Representative or Senator should be required to poll, via a voting mechanism, to determine what the people they are representing really want.
This is also why Trump ran against the Democrats, but also against the Republicans, to get elected. Enough of the American people were fed up with the Status Quo. Every presidential candidate has planks in his platform. One of Obama's was health care. Some he got through Congress, some he didn't. The biased media is choosing to only show you what supports their opinion. The Media no longer reports the news, they craft* it. (*and yes, sometimes craft really does mean make it up, or leave out key points that do not support the position the media has taken). Every president has made immigration changes, some by Executive Order, some by working with Congress. Did Obama use Executive Orders to modify Immigration? Yes he did. So why is it OK for Obama, but not OK for Trump?
Do I, a Christian Republican, want to help Veterans? MOST CERTAINLY. In fact, I would propose that we reduce immigration and financial aid to foreign countries until the Veterans Affairs of this great country are repaired. We can't be helping others until we no longer need to help ourselves.
We The People have been speaking on such broad terms for so long, that We have lost sight of ourselves. We fight on principles of "Against what you think" instead of compromising to help. Do I believe in Abortion? Maybe... Do I believe in Abortion when the woman didn't have a choice? Yes. Do I believe in Abortion when consensual sex was performed, with the potential outcomes understood, and an possible outcome that is "unwanted" occurs? No,I don't. A young child asks for ice cream. There are two* answers Yes and No (* "maybe later" is an avoidance used by parents to not have a temper tantrum from their child). When the answer is No, a temper tantrum usually occurs until the child is taught the proper response to an adverse answer. We have not been teaching the correct responses to unlikable answers.
It comes down to this: We need to teach our children to have a life plan, a goal of where they want to be. Then teach them that EVERY choice we make does one of four things: (a) moves us closer to the goal, (b) doesn't move us closer, but also doesn't move us further away, (c) moves us further from our goal, but there is still a chance to get back on track, and (d) derails us from the path so that we can never achieve that goal.
I read a quote somewhere (probably facebook), that Life is the harshest teacher of all, because first it gives you the test, and then it teaches you the lesson.
Choices have consequences. Lack of choice also has consequences. I would much rather have the former than the later. Unfortunately, we are trying to minimize the effect of the consequence.
) My point was this apparent contradiction. A decent kind hearted people generous to a fault who I am proud to say have been staunch allies to my nation through thick and thin of which we could ask no more. It made no difference whether Republican or Democrat you guys have been there! 