Welcome to the Slaughterhouse: Why I voted Republican this year!

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." George Washington

Welcome to the Slaughterhouse, America!!

By Nicholas Meyeres

I was asked recently why it was that I had become a Republican after years of Liberal-leaning tendencies.... the short answer is: because I have grown up. If you are not at least somewhat idealistic when you are young, you are a person with no dreams or hope for tomorrow’s future, and you will likely never change it into a better place at all. But if you don't evolve into a more conservative person as you grow older, you simply lack the drive and ability to become the hard-working, determined person you need to be in order to affect those changes at the end of the day.... but the long answer is a bit more complex....

As a matter of my nature, I have always been much more conservative personally, and much more liberal politically. In essence, what is good for you may not be best for me, but I will respect it regardless.... I will "liberally" accept what you choose, but I will not necessarily accept it for myself or my family. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I have never done a drug in my life- maybe not in the sense of being "Republican", but that makes for a somewhat more conservative lifestyle than most, and I do my best not to contradict my own sense of morality in that. Take the issue of Pro-Life, for instance. Unlike most so-called "Pro-Lifers", I am truly Pro-Life.



After all, Pro-Life is a somewhat loaded term, isn't it? Just because you are for the life of an unborn fetus doesn't make you Pro-Life. I am however against the death penalty, against abortion, a vegetarian,an animal welfare advocate, against the atrocities of war while, all the while, still very much pro-American troops. I AM Pro-Life all the way across the board as much as I can be and not be too much of a hypocrite.

Basically, I vote my conscience.

I heard a politician once say, "If you agree with me on 7 out of 10 issues, vote for me. If you agree with my opponent 7 out of 10 issues, vote for him. If you agree with either one of us on 10 out of 10 issues admit yourself to a psych ward!" There is no way to agree with any politician that often and not paint yourself into a corner you can never get out of no matter how hard you try. Besides, if you do, all you will ever be is a talking head or mouthpiece for one side or the other.

So, that's where I am today.

I don't agree with the Left on every issue, and I don't agree with the Right on every one.... they both have their merits, and they both have their failings. Which isn't to say I am fickle or a flip-flopper; I am just simply practical. There are some politicians who embody more of "me" than others depending on the circumstances of their candidacy and the issues of the day. And isn't that why we vote in the manner we all do in the first place- to find a politician who most closely resembles our ideals and politics TODAY?

Thus, I chose to vote for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time in my life this last year. And I likely will continue to do so for the most part from now on.

But why here- why now? The bottom line is: I am no different than any other person who votes Republican. Democrats have the sometimes uncanny habit of over-pontificating every issue no matter how great or how small it seems. People vote Republican because Republicans offer "moral clarity"— a simple vision of good and evil that activates deep seated notions such as patriotism, freedom, liberty, honor, and so much more. When we are younger, we often see the world though shades of grey, or morally ambiguous at best— (mostly to explain away our brash and sometimes unwelcome social behaviors we eventually "grow out of"). The older we get, often the more comfortable, secure, and devout in our morality we become. That’s why here- that’s why now. That’s why I grew up.

After all, even at the end of Peter Pan, Wendy understood the merits of growing old and wise away from the fantasies of Never, Neverland.



But, make no mistake, life IS built on shades of grey, and comfort sometimes equals rigidness. It is a fine line we walk every day of our lives. And one we need to walk so we understand the complexities around us.

But, while that's the long and the short of it..... I still support the best possible person for the job, regardless of race, religion, gender, war hero or not, party line, or affiliation. And I will vote with that same moral compass and wisdom for the future.… Democrat, Republican, or other…. The best person for the job will always be my personal pick to be the leader of the greatest Nation in the free world!

That's me in a nutshell.