More than 50 Shades of Gray

I think I may have finally figured out what it is. That thing. The thing that separates liberals from conservatives. The thing that, when you peel back all of the arguments and rhetoric about everything, is at the heart of the disagreement between the left and the right.

Are you ready?

Here it is.

Uncertainty. Ambivalence. Complexity. Ambiguity. Skepticism. In short, shades of gray.

This may be common knowledge to many of you, but it really feels like an epiphany to me. The reason that I hold so many of the opinions I do is not that I'm so sure of the rightness of my own thinking; it's the fact that I know I don't know everything.

It's the reason so many liberals like to cite scientific studies and focus on "evidence-based practices." We know that our own knowledge on any given subject is limited, and therefore we look to experts who spend more time studying the topic than we do.

We are comfortable with moral ambiguity because we know that morality isn't always necessarily black and white. We know that the idea of "good guys and bad guys" is misleading.

Life is complex. People are complex. And the world is messy. We know that not everyone thinks and acts exactly like us, and so we try to reserve judgement for when we know more about a situation, and make allowances for diversity and variation.

When I wrote my last post about abortion, I had someone arguing with me about when I think "life" begins. I told him that I don't know, which is why I don't think it should be up to me to make that decision for someone else. He kept pressing me for an answer and seemed very perplexed at why I could not make an absolute decision. The fact is, I don't know when a person starts becoming a true "person." I know that a cluster of cells is different than a newborn baby. But is there a moment between month 3 and 4 when a fetus becomes more "human" than it was before? Maybe. But since that is a philosophical question, it seems to me that the best course of action is to leave the decision up to the woman involved, because I don't know what's going on in her life.

I've also been arguing about voter ID laws over the past day on Facebook (yes, I enjoy arguing).  So many people think that since voter ID makes sense to them, and since it wouldn't affect them at all, then we should do it. I mean, who needs "research" or the opinion of professionals who actually specialize in voter fraud when we have some stories we heard one time about someone voting in place of their dead uncle? People don't seem to want to look outside their own bubble and find out more about what is actually going on in any given situation for someone else.  They'd rather have the certainty of knowing they're right.

I've been trying to watch "The House I Live In" for the past day or two (I've gotten about halfway through it at this point) which is a film about America's "war on drugs." It's a fascinating topic, but most conservatives won't give a second thought to what's going on in the lives of prisoners. They're drug dealers, they belong in jail, that's it. Any attempt to explain the background of someone who's in jail is just "making excuses for their crime."  They don't worry too much about the death penalty because the person being executed "deserves it."  They don't give a second thought to all of the complexity of situation and room for human error that exists in any human-based undertaking such as our criminal justice system.

Here's what I think it all basically boils down to: liberals don't want people to suffer needlessly when we can do something about it, and we don't want people to be dicks about everything. Beyond that, the conversation is wide open and we're willing to change our minds if the circumstances change or the situation becomes clearer.

So, if you want to be a liberal, keep an open mind and don't be a dick. Now go about your business.

My Final Plea

I'm not going to bore you with the reasons that I voted "no" to both constitutional amendments in Minnesota (I already voted absentee).  Instead, I'm going to implore you to vote no as well by writing this final plea.

The Marriage Amendment

Minnesota is asking voters to add a line to the state constitution that says marriage will be henceforth defined as the union of "one man and one woman."  If you're planning to vote yes, then we already disagree on gay marriage, and I probably can't change your mind. But consider this, the rights of the people, any people, should NEVER be voted on by the population at large.  This country was founded on the belief that the rights of the minority should be protected from the will of the majority, or "mob rule." 

No matter what your stance is on gay marriage, you will have the right to express that view whether or not this amendment passes.  Contrary to popular belief, Minnesota is NOT voting on whether or not to legalize gay marriage, unlike the other 3 states voting on this issue.  We are simply voting on how illegal it should be.  Please realize that if you are against gay marriage, then your viewpoint is most likely informed by your religion, and even though your religion may represent the majority view in America, I go back to my original point: we are not supposed to live under mob rule.  Our country is so wonderful because we protect the rights of the minority, not in spite of it.

The Voter ID Amendment

This one is just simple.  It's a solution without a problem.  Voter fraud, especially "in person" voter fraud, which is the only kind of fraud this amendment would impact, is just not a problem in Minnesota.  I have been an election judge here, and I can tell you that our voting system is very safe and sound.  And I'm stunned that the conservatives, the very people who decry wasteful spending, would want to spend so much money providing these ID's and implementing the new system. 

And if you are saying, "OK, but we need an ID to get on an airplane," I can only respond with, "no one has the 'right' to fly on an airplane, but we all have the right to vote."  Not only would this amendment waste a ridiculous amount of taxpayer money in this state, but it would amount to a "poll tax" for many people who would have to pay to get their birth certificate to obtain a "free" ID.  Poll taxes are supposed to be illegal, because they keep the poor from voting.

And my final, final plea on both issues.

The constitution is not the place to decide legislative issues.  We elect representatives so that they can spend the time learning about these issues and making informed decisions.  If they can't do that, and they kick the can to us in the form of constitutional amendments, then they have failed at their job.

So please, please, I'm begging you, do NOT vote "yes" on either of these amendments.  Do you want me to beg?  I'll beg.  Hell, I'll come over and clean your house and babysit your kids so you can have a night out if you'll only vote no.  It's that important.  These are amendments that will have real consequence for real people.  If our lawmakers can't hash out these issue the way they're supposed to, then it's not up to us to do their job for them. 

Please, pretty please, VOTE NO!

(I'll throw in some free leftover Halloween candy?)

What's Really Wrong with Voter ID?

So, now that you've heard my views on the masses of stupid people voting (see previous post), let me tell you what I actually think about the voter ID laws that are popping up all over the country, including here in Minnesota.  I've had friends ask me what's so bad about these laws, because on it's face, voter ID doesn't seem all that unreasonable.

OK, since we can't use my nifty voting quiz to see who should get to vote, why shouldn't we use photo ID cards?  Well, for the following reasons:

1.  As much as I may sometimes disagree, voting is a right, not a privilege.  Therefore, we should be entitled to vote as easily as possible without paying to do so.  Have you ever heard of a "poll tax?"  That's when you charge certain people money to vote, and that's illegal.  Even if you distribute a "free" ID to anyone who may not have a driver's license, those people need to pay to get a birth certificate and/or passport to get that "free" ID, not to mention the transportation time and cost it will take to get those items.  Think elderly people and the disabled.

2. Voter fraud is not a problem.  Many extensive studies done recently have shown that voter fraud on any kind of large scale is simply not happening in the U.S.  If I were a real go-getter, I could post some links for you here to those studies, but I'm too lazy to google it.  The reason voter fraud is not a major problem, in my opinion, is that most reasonable people aren't willing to go to federal prison just to cast an illegal vote.  I have been an election judge as well as a recount observer, and I can tell you firsthand that we have a very efficient and safe system here in Minnesota.  So if it ain't broke, why fix it?

3. It's clearly just a ploy by Republicans to keep low-income people as well as students from voting. Why?  Because low-income people and students tend to vote Democratic. The obstacles in the voter ID laws are targeted directly at low-income people via the poll tax issue, and at students, since the laws always state that college-issued student ID's will not count as a valid ID for voting purposes.  The point is, if you put obstacles in the way of people who usually vote for your opponent (the Democrat), then you (the Republican) tend to win more, right? 

The whole thing is so ridiculous, but it's an idea that will seem completely reasonable by people who already have a driver's license and think "Hmm, this doesn't seem like such a bad idea."  And that's why it's so dangerous, and shouldn't be something that's voted on by the general public. 

Especially since they don't all have a valid photo ID.  :-)