I loved President Obama’s cool swagger during last night’s State of the Union, but I had my doubts about his proposals. Instead of calling for free childcare, why not demand comprehensive sex education for every middle and high school student? (If we teach our young people how to plan for a family, maybe we can get them thinking about the cost of childcare before bringing a new life into the world.) Why pay for two years of community college when we still don’t have universal preschool in this country? How can you expect lawmakers to work together without calling for an end to the ridiculous gerrymandering that sustains a divided Congress?
Now before my conservative friends send me an invite to the next Tea Party Jamboree, know that I haven’t abandoned my liberal roots. I still support the president on most issues, and my political beliefs are most closely aligned with the Democratic party. However, I don’t believe in blind faith. Question everything.
As a leader, I question mediocre solutions because there may be a better one. As a thinker, I question conventional wisdom because it could be based on faulty logic. As a father, I question my children if for no other reason than they’re five years old and I can’t necessarily trust what they say. If only I could be more content with the answers…
Image Credit: “Monument to Cynicism″ by Michael Coghlan via Flickr