Election 2012

I've begun looking at the polls to see which candidates are rising to the top for the 2012 Presidential Election. Tonight I spent a little while scouring potential candidates' campaign sites and reading up on their stances on issues that are important to me. I find myself looking at both the traditional issues that hold sway for Catholic voters - abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and gay marriage, as well as those which traditionally are considered more progressive, but which feature prominently in Catholic Social Doctrine - immigration, economic justice, healthcare, education, poverty, peace.

As I go through this process of discerning the best candidate, I find myself agreeing with some candidates on some things, and disagreeing with them vehemently on others. This derives from the fact that I have conservative leanings on some issues, progressive leanings on others.

On the one hand, the pro-life issues are very important; but so is our foreign policy. Being involved in an unjustifiable armed conflict in which civilians are killed during raids is a concern for me, even if it is not as large in scope as say, the number of abortions performed in the US each year. I am also concerned about welcoming the immigrant  and providing for those who do not have the resources necessary for a dignified human existence. Also, as we hear about the "Occupy Wall Street" and other similar movements, it's becoming more and more apparent that we need to re-examine the economic structures of our nation and see whether they are truly just.

While trying to weed through all this information, I find several questions rising to the forefront of my mind:

* If Catholic Social Doctrine supports the idea of subsidiarity (that social issues should be addressed on as local a level as possible and that a larger governing body should only step in when absolutely necessary to achieve the desired end) - is it right to support a candidate who wants the federal government to produce the programs necessary to address social issues?

* Would supporting such a candidate only lead to individual persons shirking their personal responsibility to care for the poor in their local community?

* In this case, is it that in America we want the government to do what we ourselves should be doing?

* Is taxing individuals at a higher rate to meet the financial responsibilities of federal government programs which provide social services harmful to the economic situation of our nation?

* Do the wealthy have a greater responsibility to shoulder a greater percentage of the  burden? (Here I would say yes... I can think of passages in the social documents of the Church which talk about that those who have more have a greater responsibility to contribute to the support of those in poverty / who are marginalized / etc.)  But is the answer having them contribute more in taxes to fund the social programs of the Federal Government?

* Is the "Occupy Wall Street" movement turning into a class war? (The 99% vs. the 1%...).

* Do we place too much emphasis on government fixing problems - rather than rolling up our sleeves and getting our  hands dirty, taking personal responsibility for solving our own problems and working for the common good?

* and other questions...