April 26, 2018 – There is a voter mailer that has been sent out to many people in our community that states “If the radical anti-Christian Left manages to retake the Senate or the House in 2018, the Trump Presidency will effectively be over”. As a proud progressive Democrat, I take great offense at the implication that since I don’t support Trump I am somehow anti-Christian.
So please let me explain my moral values and show you why they are definitely pro-Christian values.
First Jesus believed that we (as a civilized society). should feed the poor, and take care of those less fortunate Therefore, I support food stamps, Medicare, Medicare, Social Security and Universal Health Care (as all other industrialized societies do). It is the moral thing to do.
Second, Jesus said” love thy neighbor as thy self”, and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. He taught love, compassion and empathy. Therefore, I am appalled at the hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric, and demonization of “the other” that Trump does in his many speeches.
Third, Christian claim to be pro -family. I am too. That’s why I support the DACA program because it keeps families together. That’s why I support paid family leave for both mothers and fathers. All research shows the first 2 years of a child’s life are the most important developmental years for a child to learn about love, trust, empathy, and security. A child bonding with loving parents during those crucial years is one of the most important things we (as a civilized society) can do to ensure the child will grow up to be healthy well-adjusted adult and contributing member of society. That’s why I support free child care. All these programs are available in most European countries. Surely the United States as part of “making America Great” (and the riches country in the world) can do these policies for its children.
Jesus also preached peace and non-violent protest. Trump has now increased our defense budget (even though we already spend 5 times more than the combined defense spending of the 5 richest countries in the world). And he has just hired John Bolton as his National Security Advisor. This is the guy who still thinks the Iraq war was a good deal and he favors first strikes like “bomb Iran”. Plus Trump allowed Tillerson to decimate the State Department. This says to the world we are about war not peace. Ugh!
Another Christian value I too believe in is character. The character of a person matters! Truthfulness, honesty, integrity matters. So again I am appalled at the President of our great country who, according to many independent reports, lies 3-5 times everyday. In fact, he has been labeled a pathological liar. This is a man who has cheated his subcontractors out of the money he owes them; they lose their business and Trump goes on to declare bankruptcies 4 times and makes millions. He may not have broken any laws but it is certainly dishonest and unethical. He cheats students out of an education using his Trump University scam – and all he does is pay a fine! He has had multiple adulterous affairs.
And speaking of unethical, this Trump presidency is the most unethical Presidency we have ever seen. Over 20 people in his inner circle have been indicted by special prosecutor Mueller.
Look at the way Trump refuses to divest himself of his business, goes on to make money in defiance of the emolument clause in the Constitution, and gets a tax cut passed that is making himself and his family even richer. And he surrounds himself with unethical people too. Look at Scott Pruitt, Ben Carson, Steve Mnuchin, Tom Price and Ryan Zinke to name a few.
The latest about Jared Kushner and his dealings with Saudi Arabia may show Jared made deals while in the White House to make himself and his friends richer. He may have also given Saudi Arabia classified information that Saudi Arabia then used to jail/kill their opponents.
We may have different ideas about what Christian values we cherish most and how politics enters into our decision. But please don’t call me anti- Christian. I believe we have more in common that we have differences. We all love this country and want it to be great. So can we please work together on issues that unite us instead of issues that divide us.