Post election thoughts

So the election is over. Yes, I'm very disappointed in the results. Actually, I feel deflated this morning, hollow.

One of the things I immediately appreciated when I moved to the States in 2000 was that it wasn't unusual if a person believed in God and practiced their faith by going to church. In fact, most of the people I came across did just that. I loved the fact that God was a part of everyday life and able to be spoken about freely rather than in whispers. 

In my life and in the people I associate with, that is still the case, but I have seen a definite decline in those values over the last few years in the actions of many throughout the country, as witnessed through the media and in my own observations of society. There is a feeling that God's values are okay as long as they coincide with man's values. 

When Obama ran for President in 2008, I was still a legal resident and therefore unable to vote. I was not particularly enthralled with President's Bush and his policies and was looking forward to some real change. I wasn't wholeheartedly enthusiastic about John McCain but Barack Obama wasn't exactly my cup of tea either. When the presidency was won though, and President Obama gave his speech, I thought it was magnificent. Hope and change. That's what we needed!

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to deliver, well not for me, at any rate. Maybe some people are better off, but in my life I have seen no pay raises, increased gas prices, increased food costs, increased utility costs, increased education costs, children struggling to find sustainable jobs and make ends meet. Well, I could go on. 

I have always felt that a country is like a business, even a home. You have to balance the books and if you don't have the money, you can't spend. Relying on credit is a risky business and should only be used in extreme emergencies. A businessman knows this. Heck, a housewife knows it too! When a household budget stays on track, the world is a happy place. Unfortunately for this country, we don't have a budget, we're not on track and the country is not a happy place.

In my work life, I frequently see leaders being let go if they're not able to reach operational targets, and in a lot less than four years too. President Obama gave it his best shot, but in my opinion, it was time for someone else to have a go. I wasn't too sure about Mitt Romney at first, I didn't really know him, but as I listened more and more to his policies and how he proposed to get this country back on track, and as I looked at his track record, I felt that he was the man to do the job. I liked his ideas but the more I saw him and listened to him, the more I liked Mitt the man. He seemed to me to be a man of faith. Yes, I know he's Mormon and I'm Mormon, but it had nothing to do with that. It's to do with integrity, honesty and trust. I have so many doubts about some of the issues that I've seen the President deal with that I feel he has lost some of those values that are so important to me. Mitt Romney comes across to me as having those values. 

Politics has always been a cut throat business, full of cruel jibes and negative ads about each candidate, but the character assassination slung predominantly from the left to right during this election process has saddened me. I don't feel it's Christian and I definitely see prejudices there. The race was tight and there are many, many people in this country who don't share Obama's political or moral beliefs. They should not be ignored or made to feel less than because the views they hold are not the same as those of the governing party. Name calling needs to stop. The mud slinging needs to stop. Disrespect needs to stop. President Obama has a lot to do to repair those hurts and heal those wounds. He has a lot to do to reunite this divided nation. He needs to forget himself and reach out to others. He needs to read the Bible and try to understand its concepts. He needs to reach out to God through prayer and  pray that God will grant him wisdom and knowledge to do what is right. As a people, we need to pray for him, he surely needs it now and will need it in the future.

While I feel saddened at the outcome, my heart can still rejoice. I do believe that times will get rougher, tougher and more difficult for us as a nation and for me individually, but I know that no matter who is president today, Jesus Christ is my King, my Savior and my Redeemer, not just today, but forever.