Last week I spoke about my apathy regarding politics. I’ve spent a great deal of time this week thinking about that and realized that the truth is I’m lost. I’ve been a Democrat for as long as I can remember but now the Democratic Party is backing issues that I don’t agree with. The most major of these is immigration. Members of the Democratic Party believe that illegal aliens who have been here for five years and who have remained out of trouble with the law should be allowed to follow a path to citizenship. I disagree with this stance. I don’t like painting such a complex issue with a broad brush and I realize there are numerous variables that play roles within immigration but I feel like there is a path to citizenship in place and that it should be followed. I would never dream of entering another county and just expect to become a citizen as soon as I cross the border. Why should they? But questioning my political leaning is becoming a crisis of who I am as a citizen. I know of people who are loyal to their political party to the bitter end, no matter how their party votes on issues. As political parties shift their issues from one extreme to another, isn’t it up to us to shift as well? Politics is always moving and changing, it is never stable. So why is our society so focused on having us choose one side or another and then pitting us against one another? This is why politics has become something not talked about. If you bring up politics with someone who associates with the “other side” there is an immediate sense of uncomfortableness that leads to a change of subject. The idea that we are all Americans, and we all want what is best for this country, is becoming buried in the “us” versus “them” mentality. I want what is best for this country and I know it means becoming comfortable and familiar with all the complex issues facing us as a nation. So, I’ve decided that if anyone should ask me what I am politically, I’m going to respond by saying I’m an American because that is what I am.