My Life In Presidents

Fernando Belaunde Terry

Fernando Belaunde Terry (President of Peru from 1980-1985)
I don’t remember anything about him, even that he was president. I was only three when he left office, though.

Alan Garcia Perez (President of Peru from 1985-1990)
I remember everyone saying what a bad president he was. Corrupt. I remember rolling black-outs in our apartment caused by terrorists, who I guess were rebelling against his government. Then we’d go get the candles, a little worried, but not more than usual.

Ronald Wilson Reagan (US President from 1980-1988)
I came to the states at the end of his presidency. Being only 6 I was more interested in being able to brush and style my own hair into pony tails than the political atmosphere. I was in California at the time.

George H. W. Bush (US President from 1988-1992)
Still in elementary school in California. I didn’t know much about the world outside of my home at the time.

William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton (US President from 1992-2000)
I remember his presidency and the whole scandal. I was in high-school. I didn’t know what to make of everything outside of what I knew my reaction should be, based on what others thought of and expressed about him. To tell you the truth, I still don’t know too much about his politics, and even though I don’t think it’s right to have extra-marital affairs in or out of office, I’m not sure that was a good enough reason to impeach a president. I guess though, people hated him so much they’d use anything to get him out of office.

George W. “Dubya” Bush (US President from 1996-2008)
I remember being a freshman in college and seeing the kids in the dorms all mad/sad/screaming/booing when they saw that he had been declared winner over Gore. That day the whole campus was in a strange mood. I still wasn’t too interested in politics, only knowing that my family liked Bush and he was a “Christian” so I should want him in office. I didn’t vote that year.

In 2004 I did not vote for him, as spending a few years in college opened my eyes to the world around me, including politics. I knew there had been some terrible things happening in the world because of our government and having spent the last couple years around liberals in the bible belt state of Indiana (of all places) I registered to vote and cast my vote against Bush, which essentially was for Kerry. I wasn’t ardent for Kerry, but I didn’t understand people’s hatred of him. To me he was just “not Bush” and therefore worthy of a vote. I just knew I couldn’t have Bush again.

Today, although I am registered as a Democrat (had to in order to vote for Obama since I REALLY didn’t want Clinton) and though I tend to lean in the direction of what is considered “liberalism” I feel as though neither party lines up with my beliefs or priorities. I am more of an independent, and probably will be for the rest of my life since there will never be a party that I will feel comfortable claiming as representative of what I value.

As far as this election is concerned, I could never align myself with the republican nominees, either one of them, and am quite concerned that they are so well-liked by the Christian community today. I used to like Obama, back when I first read about him before he was a nominee and up till a few months ago still liked him. However I’m finding myself less tolerant of the few points (like three.) in which we do not agree, because they are important points. I have recently been convicted that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil and have had to rethink about where I will cast my vote and why.

One thing I have thought about concerns the abortion issue, which is big among Christian circles. They say nothing is worse than abortion and therefore we should vote against it. Well, McCain has never been a strong supporter of anti-abortion legislation and although Palin says she is, she will not have much power (if any) as vice president to influence legislation about that. Then there’s the fact that this country is in so much debt to China that if we don’t do something to get ourselves straight again we’ll practically be OWNED by China and then abortion will not be our biggest concern.

Where have all the good men gone? That’s what I want to know. I need some better choices!