As Catholic Democrats, we are called to be open, sincere, and loving to all those around us. We are expected to make choices and decisions in our life that reflect who we are and what we believe. Sometimes, that is a difficult task to live up to.

Being a Catholic means the world to me. This is who I am, and I choose to live my life by doing my best to help others, and by showing people Christ through my actions. I have shared my soul with those who I believed could benefit from it, but there have been times it has hurt me deeply. I have also made mistakes in my life, like everyone, and some still bother me to this day. I often question whether I am worthy enough to be a leader for anyone, especially here.

Being a Democrat has always been a passion of mine. I believe in equal footing for all people...I believe everyone deserves a chance at the good life. I believe in lending a hand to those who cannot quite make ends meet. I believe in peace. I do not believe that war solves problems. It only creates division, hatred, and ultimately, more wars. I believe we must protect the Earth that God entrusted to us, rather than continuing to waste her precious resources. I believe in education reform across the board and improving economic conditions for families and children living in poverty.

As a Catholic Democrat, I believe we must do what we can to protect the lives of unborn children, as well as the lives of those already living. I believe we should also respect the lives of those who are terminally ill and dying. They should not suffer unless that is their choice. We should give them every comfort we can. I also believe that there are some often ignored gray areas in regards to the life issues that truly exist, despite the fact that they are usually passed over as meaningless rhetoric.

Most importantly, I believe that we all must love our neighbors. We all want to be loved...but sometimes we neglect that very basic need. When we do not nourish the love inside ourselves by loving others...it can wither and die. Many people feel empty, bitter, cynical, or just alone. That feeling often comes from denying yourself or another person an opportunity to feel and be loved. Many times this happens when we feel like no one cares about what we have to say. We choose to isolate and contain the love that we have to share rather than going out into the world and spreading the optimism and joy that resides in our hearts. When we do this, we are not only depriving the world of love, but we are denying ourselves love as well.

We will try to make this a site where people can openly discuss the current political spectrum, but hopefully this is also a place where we all can grow spiritually and intellectually.

Praying for President Elect Barack Obama.

K