Who wins if the kitten falls?

I was walking down the sidewalk one muggy afternoon and I heard a commotion up ahead which piqued my curiosity. Being the inquisitive person that I am I hastened my pace and rounded the corner to see a Fire Truck parked near a tree. A crowd had gathered - always a sign of something interesting. I made my way through the small band of onlookers to an adequate vantage point. I was stunned and thoroughly amused to find two firemen slugging it out. These guys were in full turn out gear and they were really going at it, Hollyfield style. I watched in amusement for a few seconds and curiosity got the best of me. I turned to a fellow spectator and inquired about the origin of this exchange. The guy didn’t take his eyes off of the action as he explained that they were fighting to see who got to save the kitten. Kitten? Then for the first time I saw and heard a baby kitten wailing at the top of its little lungs as it treacherously clung to the tip of a branch suspended easily forty feet above the street.  This cat was going to fall…

While I understand this is a critical point in our history with regard to the highly contested political election, the wavering economy, and the global threat of terror, I am exhausted from the bandying of insults and criticisms back and forth between the supporters of our two political parties. In the past I have never been one to be sucked in to the political scene. It’s easy to become jaded when barraged by countless reports of trusted elected officials caught with their hand in the cookie jar. If you combine this, the bickering between the candidates and the often ignorant viewpoints of people who have proudly donned the badge of Republican or Democrat, you can see how I am eager to have this election season behind us.

            The topic of this post however has nothing to do with my political leanings but rather the ignorance displayed by many when choosing sides. The political parties in this country seem to demonstrate an “us versus them” philosophy. While there are inherent differences between the two, as a novice to politics, I thought the idea of government was to work in the best interest of the people. Instead of fighting to get elected by vilifying the other side the candidates and the parties should be focusing on how to work together to repair the various critical issues plaguing America.

            For whichever political party you align yourself, think about the opposite. Do you think that your constituent counterparts want to destroy America? Do you think they wish to take away all of your money or opportunities? Do you think that they are ignorant, racist, god-less, arrogant ... and on and on and on. If you fall into this category you may need to reexamine your views. While there are those that fit into all of these categories, I believe that as a whole both political parties honestly desire to help better America. This leads me to a point I alluded to previously. Voting for a party in lock step with your family and friends is asinine. Take some time to investigate what the candidates stances are on the issues. It’s not about who gets to be the victor. Stop fighting and save the kitten!

Certainly the biggest issue facing us as Americans is the state of the economy. If the economy fails, the other issues go to the wayside. We can’t address immigration, education, social injustice, or global warming if there are no programs nor people to implement them.  Educate yourself. Learn how the candidates propose to fix America. In the end, while you and I may differ on our opinions of the proper means to the end, we both want the same thing – to save the kitten.