Sounds Like "Stewardship" To Me

I was reading the paper this weekend - yes, I actually made time to sit and allow myself to read. There was obviously a ton of political information - much of which I skimmed not really reading anything new. Then I came across an article written by R. William Ayres in the Review & Opinions section of The Patriot News. Finally I was reading something that made sense. Stuff that I've been thinking about (and talking about to Simms) was actually in print. He just probably said it better.

...Both the liberal and conservative camps share one thing in common: the belief that American's problems should be solved by somebody else. The argument is about who that somebody else should be - government or the market. There is no room in this argument for you or me to solve our own problems.
...If there is a way out of this false and frustrating dilemma, it must begin with a determination by Americans to stop relying on outside forces - government or corporate - to solve their problems for them. The last 20 years have shown us that, by and large, neither one works very well, especially for the things that matter most to us - jobs and the stability of the economy, energy and food policy, health care, education and the environment.

The way out lies in taking back our own lives and our own communities.

If we're concerned about how much gas cost, why do we use so much of it? If we're concerned about the quality and cost of food, why do we eat what we eat and whom do we buy it from?

Our children's education, how companies treat their employees and their customers, how much we pollute the environment around us - these are all things that we are perfectly capable of having an impact on. More important, they are things we can talk about among ourselves without waiting for "leaders" on talk shows to tell us what to think.

...They won't fix our problems - but we can.

I appreciate his promotion of personal responsibility. Holding ourselves accountable for the choices we make on an everyday basis and not blaming others and/or looking for someone else to solve our own problems/issues. I know this still doesn't answer the question of "who do I vote for" but I think it is important to note that regardless of who becomes President, I still have important choices to make which will continue to impact my life as well as those around me.