President Home on the Range

Yes, after what must have been a gruelling visit to Cancun, our President is yet again taking some time off at his ranch. At least this time he’s only planning on staying for the weekend.

President Bush broke President Reagan’s record total for vacation time in only his fifth year of office–and Reagan’s record includes time spent recuperating from a gunshot wound. Bush has no such excuse.

It seems to me that Bush thinks that the Presidency is something like the National Guard; two weekends a month, and one week a year.

This while the vacation and leave benefits of regular Americans are continually diminishing in corporate America.

Yes, I’m know these aren’t true “vacations.” I’m sure President Bush is in contact with Washington during these retreats. But this seems ironic for a guy who insisted that he was going to restore a sense of dignity, propriety, and work ethic to the Office. Shouldn’t he set the example of hard work and responsibility by staying visibly at the helm? After all, he’s going to have plenty of time on the ranch if he so chooses after 2008. Eight good years of work shouldn’t be too much to ask from a guy who campaigned for the job in the first place.

Allow me to introduce myself…

Hi! My name is Derek, and I am a member of a very exclusive group: the Liberal Mormon. Not a moderately conservative, “would be considered conservative outside of Utah” liberal. Nor a closet liberal. I’m a full-fledged, far-left, out-and-out proud progressive liberal!

I was raised in a casually conservative family, but I’ve always been a bit of a contrarian. Growing up in the eighties, I never did quite believe the rhetoric of the “Evil Empire.” And the grandiose adulation of Reagan always seemed a bit suspect to me. But it was not until fairly recently that my political ideology began to coalesce. On one hand, I watched the words and actions of the conservative politicians, and listened to the conservative pundits and advocates on the radio. On the other hand, I study a great deal of history and ponder upon the scriptures. When I consider both hands, I’m pushed farther and farther to the Left. The conservative voices I hear are either taking the wrong tact to deal with a particular issue, or barking up the wrong tree altogether.

I decided to start this blog to defend liberalism from my LDS perspective, to comment on current issues, and to raise questions about the world in which we live. This will serve as a repository for my thoughts, and to which I can direct people who want to understand my positions. I enjoy discussing these sorts of things face-to-face, but it is rather difficult to fully address these topics and to lay the groundwork for people to see the need to challenge common dogma!

I’ll give it a go over the next few weeks and see where it leads.