Social Agenda, Helping or Hurting America?

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Who to vote for?  What is this politician's platform, and what is that politicians platform?  In a world where money essentially buys an election there are few real choices to be the voice of reason.  What we lack in our political process is the common sense reasoning to what government should really be about. The best interests of the people, and how does the nation sustain itself in the world theater.
Instead of debating policy issues over how to efficiently run the economy the United States is fighting social issues that take up precious time in heated debates.
I conducted a poll from April 5th to April 7th regarding economic issues versus social issues with some interesting results.  It is no secret that the U.S. economy is gaining some steam albeit at a slower pace than anyone would like.  I believe social issues are diverting the ability of the nation, and politicians to legislate effectively in the best interest of the economy.  A strong, self sustaining economy is the best way for a country to exhibit it's influence on the world stage thus allowing individuals of that country to prosper beyond their current economic status.
Granted, if everyone in the U.S. were millionaires inflation would run rampant.  I don't believe that everyone needs to be a millionaire rather they need the ability to rise above their current situation into a better one.  A strong economy provides that ability, and allows for the creation of small business along with a chance for people to become independent.
Social issues however keep sidetracking what should be our main issue, the economy.  There are no secrets here, my political tendencies lean to the left especially on social issues.  However, I find myself agreeing with the right on retrospects to the right.  The main problem I have with the right is the firm, extreme stance on social issues.  I cannot bring myself to support a platform that does not believe in equal rights for all.  The right bestows upon themselves to be the defenders of the constitution but the complete context of the constitution was to initiate the platform by which our government was created.  The constitution was not created to widen gaps between society.  The first amendment to the constitution is generally called "Free Speech Amendment."  The founding fathers could not have imagined the cases being taken up today in regard to freedom of speech.  The first amendment also constitutes religion.  In particular the interpretation that government shall not promote a preference to one religion over another.  If we take the interpretation of the religious clause to it's literal sense then the question becomes why are we debating laws and social issues in the name of God?  Most all religions claim a higher being with the general name for that higher being "God."  If you are Muslim the name is Allah, and if you are Mormon the name is Elohim.  Returning to the main point, if the first amendment dictates zero preference over a single religion and "congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion" then social issues related to religion should not be debated on the floor of congress in the first place.
However, voters are pushing for social issues more and more every year.  For example the push to ban, or allow gay marriage is always brought up in legislation discussion.  To set the record straight I do support the equality of all including the right to marry no matter the sex.  That right should be with the people though and not with the government.  The same can be said for the reverse, the right to choose if a church or establishment decides to wed a gay couple should be up to that establishment without recourse from government interference.  Simply put, if you want to marry someone of the same sex then that is your decision, if you are an establishment that chooses not to accept couples of the same sex there will be plenty of other places that will.  The gay community needs to understand that there will be places who do not wish to honor their business.  Forcing legal action against those establishments does nothing but harm both sides.  Ultra conservative groups create hate campaigns towards the LGBT community, and liberal groups keep creating campaigns to promote the other side as bigots.  However, speaking in economic terms the best thing the gay community can do to push for all establishments to accept them is bring their business to places that will conduct business with them.  Soon enough those places that once denied services such as weddings will be forced to accept it or economically find other ways to keep an edge over the competition.  Nothing creates acceptance faster than economic results.
Where all of this becomes a problem in the best interest of the country is outlined in the poll results.
In a question asking about the importance of social issues to a respondents vote, 1 being the least important, and 10 being the most important, the mean response was 7 with 9 being the most commonly used response.  In a question that asked about the importance of economic issues to a respondents vote the mean response was 8 with 8 as the most commonly used response.  In a question that asked if a candidate supported a respondents social agenda but not their economic agenda, would the respondent still vote for that politician, 54% said they would vote for that candidate, while 46% said they would not.  When the question was reversed and asked if the candidate supported their economic agenda but not the respondents social agenda, only 31% said they would vote for that candidate while 69% said they would not.
What the data tells us is that the public has a fixation on social issues over economic agenda.  Politicians are sent to Washington to do a job and they keep their jobs only by winning elections.  Accordingly, if the public is more worried about social issues rather than economic issues then politicians are going to fight over social issues to keep winning elections.
If the United States is to keep prospering, and maintain its viability on the world stage the first thing that needs to happen is the mindset.  Citizens really need to start getting over themselves and realize that your beliefs are not everyone else's beliefs.  Attempting to legislate your belief diverts attention from real economic issues.  Congratulations to you for believing marriage is between a man and a women.  Happy?  Now, did that solve the issues with your company expanding so that you could gain a promotion, and move into either A) a better neighborhood, or B) a better financial position?  No, marriage between a gay couple or straight couple probably did not solve those economic problems for you now did it.
Allow our government to debate the real issues that affect American lives.  Leave out the social issues for your own home preference and choose to associate with individuals that reflect your beliefs whatever they may be.  The economy should be our main American focus.

Extremism, America is not Excluded.

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When we think of the term "extremist" the average American automatically assumes the discussion is around Islam, or Muslims.  After all, extremism is regulated only to the Middle East countries and America is free of this ideology, right?
If you think extremism is only a Muslim problem than you have another thing coming.  American extremist actions are gaining more ground every day.  Pat Dollard a former talent agent turned war correspondent tweets tonight "if 1 more act of Muslim terrorism, its time for Americans to slaughter Muslims in the streets, all of them."  If a Muslim says it's time to kill Americans we are ready to go to war but if an American says it's time to kill Muslims we call it free speech?  Calling for a blatant genocide over a terrorist act is about as extreme as you can get.
What Dollard fails to realize is that extremists exist in every religious sect, heck any sect for that matter have had extremists for thousands of years to deal with.  Lest we forget the KKK claimed their actions in the name of Christianity persecuting any religion, creed, or race that was not the same as theirs.  I don't recall Americans calling for the death of all Christians if another act of violence was committed by the group. German Nazi's in war torn Europe marched millions of Jew's to their deaths in a real genocide yet Jewish Americans didn't go out and mass murder Germans in the streets of New York.
Another Man in Florida burned down his neighbors home tonight because "they are lesbians."  Two adults, and 8 children were in the home he ignited all over his "beliefs."  I don't see LGBT groups sacrificing straight people in the courtyards tonight over the incident.
Dollard and any of his followers who condone these types of actions are no better than the extremists they also condemn.  Muslims are bound to have some bad apples, in fact any sizable religion is going to have a few.  If you need a reminder of this we can look much closer to home, Timothy Mcveigh.  Mcveigh as we all know detonated a fertilizer bomb at the Federal Building in Oklahoma over the government actions in Waco, Texas and general American Policy.  Prior to learning that an American committed this horrific act of terror, Ibrahim Ahmad a Jordanian who resided in Oklahoma was the prime suspect, albeit falsely accused out of the media jumping the gun and pure coincidence. America has become so "Islamaphobic" that even the media goes to extremes when reporting suspected terror acts.  Glenn Beck is now being sued by Abdulrahman Alharbi for falsely identifying Alharbi as a prime suspect in the Boston Marathon Bombings.  Beck accused Alharbi of funding the attacks even after it was proven Alharbi was merely a witness to the attack.  Glenn Beck destroyed this mans name over the airwaves even after he was cleared by authorities.  There is no accountability in modern media.  Speculation reporting is doing more damage to our societal norms all in the name of ratings.  What's worse is the speculation fuels a growing fire within our sharply divided country spewing hate to those who do not understand what they are hating.  Instead, people are blindly following the speculation as if it were truth encouraging others to hate along with them.  
John McCain famously corrected a "supporter" whom stated to Senator McCain during the 2008 campaign "I can't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's not, he's not uh — he's an Arab. He's not — "  McCain quickly took the microphone back stating "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign's all about. He's not [an Arab]."  If you followed the 2008 campaign you would find it easy to see how this supporter gained her facts.  Extreme right wing organizations were trying to drive fear toward the Obama campaign almost daily.  Birther's were attempting to prove Obama was born in Kenya thus ineligible to take the oath of office, and Fox News was inferring he was a Muslim because his middle name is Hussein and his Father was Muslim.  Obama is a Christian.
Extremism takes many forms, and no one is safe from extremist people or extremist views.  However, extremism only takes shape when those who are being extreme do not, or are unwilling to understand the world outside of their own.