Katia’s observations on politics and life

So, after all the debates that go on in my house… My dad said to my mom one day, why don’t we consider losing political party labels? My ears perked up at that one. Apparently, my human parents, who have always been loyal Republicans have had it with the narrow politics that define both that party and the Democrats. According to them, Political beliefs have to come from a set of principles that can stand the test of time and place. So, they are reading and thinking about what it means to be a libertarian and conservative. Somewhere along the way, those two terms gained a pejorative meaning among the mass media in this country, but I digress…

Being a dog, political parties don’t matter that much to me either. But, some truths about life do matter. Let me put some ideas on paper here. Call them guiding principles of how I see the world and politics. Maybe in these ideas, we can find some places to begin thinking constructively about what our world and country should be.

Katia’s Observations…

1. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a liberal or a conservative. Our democracy flourishes when we have opposing points of view, BUT, the key is we all must be informed about our viewpoints and those of the opposition. This means that one HAS to get news and information from a variety of sources. It can be a great struggle to arrive at your own views, but active citizenship demands that you do so. Therefore, read something new each day. Go read blogs and websites from your political opposition. Absorb their views and test your own principles against those ideas.
2. Our Founding Fathers wanted a Republic where vigorous public debate was the norm of the day, and people could speak freely because each side had principles that they held dear. Sure, many fisticuffs and duels resulted, but back then, one could be reasonably sure that if someone said something, it was what he/she believed. Furthermore, those statements would be defended, tooth and nail. Personal honor is a noble thing, and defending it upon the altar of a strongly held belief is something that should be respected. When it is not, the whole system of give and take in modern politics begins to break down irretrievably.
3. Our political system today is broken and has been in a state of disrepair for many decades. I hope to explore with you why that came about, but let us all recognize that the failures come about because of a LACK of active, informed citizenship. As I said in the items above, we all have to come to views that we can hold passionately and defend with thoughtful insights. That only comes from research, thinking and learning from history. Accepting the line you hear on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News or any of the big 3 each day isn’t the approach to take if well-informed ideas are to make it to the forefront of public debate.
4. The deplorable state of politics today (and for the last generation, approximately) reflects a political class in Washington that does not really care about the country’s well-being in the long-term. We as citizens do not do enough to demand that they do so. Many solutions can be devised to force this, and we can debate those solutions in this space.
5. We need to be unafraid to test our ideas by debating them with others. The Founding Fathers were famous for debating issues, sometimes to the point of blows or duels. While no violence is required, we all lose something when we verbally spar with someone who just walks away. Defense of well-held ideas that you possess is no vice. Just ask Tobias and Peaches when they come and try to get my bone at night…
6. It is important to know who you are, and where your history as a family and culture comes from. My parents have my breeding papers and I can be traced back through many generations of dachshunds. They’ve even gone to Gergweis, Germany where the modern dachshund was bred almost 150 years ago. My point is that knowledge of your own personal past grounds you and teaches you truths about yourself that can withstand anything that life or anyone else throws at you. The old saying about us stand on the shoulders of others is true…
7. Being a liberal at its root is NOT about large government or progressive traditions. Early liberalism was actually based on some things that Republicans/conservatives believe today. I’ll leave the reader to research and discover that for yourselves.
8. As we go through this journey on this blog… I’ll post one or two must read items each day with comments. I encourage you to do the same. Most of all, bring your friends and let’s have good debates on here. If there are links you want me to post or highlight, I’m happy to do so.
9. All I ask is that you respect others on here. I will report abusers to wordpress.com (the owner of this site) for removal. That means that personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
10. Thanks for starting this journey with me. Now, back to my bed in the corner for a nap…