Elections should not be a battle of theologies

When you're a child, there are certain questions you aren't allowed to ask, and I'm about to break that rule right now with this question now that I am an adult of reason:

Why is a person's religion such an important role in our presidential elections?

For the Republican voters, I will pose a follow-up question: Why have you allowed your party to be hijacked by religious zealots who want to turn this country into a police state?

The real problems in America are the following:

Roughly 46 million people living in poverty, more than 50 million people without health insurance, 25 million people without full-time employment, and 40 millions Americans who are functionally illiterate, which means they cannot read or write above a fourth-grade level.

In the camp of the Republican Party, the culture warriors once again are outraged over abortion, gay marriage, a candidate's faith and contraception as discussed by the final four in this GOP primary. It seems as endless as the "Twilight" series of books and films.

By far the candidate who flaunts his religion the most is none other than Rick Santorum, who most liberals (if they're being honest) would love to see President Obama go against in November because mainstream America would kick Santorum down the street harder than they did Sarah Palin in 2008.

I could write a whole book of reasons not to vote for Rick Santorum, but for now let's stay on the topic of the culture war with a few of Santorum's not-so-pleasant moments in the political spotlight.

These moments include saying women should not be allowed to fight in combat, bringing back "don't ask, don't tell" during a debate in which a gay solider was booed for asking a question about the issue, to saying sexual relations are only supposed to be within heterosexual marriage, that women who choose career over family are radical feminists, to his hypocritical and homophobic comments about gay people he believes are a threat to the American family, to saying suffering is an essential part of life, which probably explains his hate for humanity.

I have lost count of how many people in Southwest Florida that I meet who hate President Obama with so much passion that they will be willing to vote for whoever the GOP nominee is, even if it is a radical Christian who thinks everyone should be like him and refuses to embrace diversity.

I've never voted for a politician because of their faith. First of all, it's truly none of my business what these folks do in their private lives, and it doesn't affect their ability to do the job I voted them to do. Right now, with America's middle class fighting for their life every day, why should we care whether these folks worship God?

I would rather vote for a smart atheist who loves the job of being a public servant than vote for a moronic Christian who seems to dislike government and wants to police morality while blacklisting those he or she disagrees with. Don't call what Santorum does "love"; call it what it is: 21st century McCarthyism.

I voted for President Obama in 2008 because I agreed with much of his mission for cleaning up the mess George W. Bush left us and not because he is a Christian,  which I know is the reason many people voted to re-elect Bush in 2004.

I should also point out that the great thing about that election in 2004 was the third-party members of America who thought John Kerry was weak and voted for a true champion: Ralph Nader.

Those people voted for Nader because they wanted a strong middle class again and the Iraq War to end, not because he was a great lunch companion after church or because he was fun to have a beer with after work.

America needs to wake up and focus on the issues that really matter: education, health care, poverty and jobs, because it is only by dealing effectively with those issues that we can gain our stability back.

So my advice to whoever the GOP nominee is who gets to run against President Obama:

Leave your good book at home and begin to educate yourself on these four issues instead of trying to save our souls,  which most of us can do on our time without your assistance.

Alex is a junior majoring in communication. He  enjoys going to concerts, going to Starbucks, listening to his Sirius Satellite Radio, going to the movies, swimming and playing games like UNO and Monopoly. His favorite musicians are R.E.M., Bon Jovi, Elton John and Kenny G. His favorite magazines are Mother Jones, Newsweek and Rolling Stone, which he loves to pick up at the campus bookstore.