Politics for me in 2016

I'll start with the touchiest of subjects.. politics. What's it like for me? I despise politics, but find it essential to immerse myself in, since I'm a citizen of the greatest country on the planet. It is our duty to make an informed vote. Sometimes the political process is actually fun to follow, but often it's not for me. Why? It tends to bring out the ugliest part of us. We're a wonderfully diverse country that no longer values the inherent differences in opinion that comes with being a diverse culture. Most of my opinions on what's wrong with us are not popular. More on those later.

Second thing to get out of the way... which way do lean? I'm mostly conservative, but can't say the Republican party resembles my views. If I were to pick a party that most closely resembles me, I'd probably be a Libertarian, but that doesn't fully encapsulate where I stand. I want everyone to do what makes them happy, so long as it does not infringe upon me. Our Constitution is wonderfully written to protect us all, but I fear we are finding new ways to marginalize or interpret it, to advance a populist view born out of political correctness. Too few are afraid to speak their true minds not because they'll go to jail for their views, but they will be shamed and publicly ridiculed by those that that disagree. Look at me, I'm typing behind anonymity myself to avoid those that would attack me publicly. All of these are topics I hope to explore deeper in future entries.

But today, I find myself in a quandry. Fed up with the state of our political system, we are at a major tipping point, and I have to admit it's kind of exciting to experience, but scary to think where we could end up at the end of this election cycle. The rise of Donald Trump has come about because of the hubris of our elected officials, who have done nothing but vote themselves more and more power, removing it from the hands of the people. That's a bit of an oversimplification, but it also happens to be accurate. Trump's supposed straight talk and inability to be bought (in a classic political sense) has resonated. The people that support him don't care about the negative stuff that comes up about him. They flat out ignore it.  I never thought he'd get as far as he has, but we're so willing to break from the status quo, that we're actually making him the nominee  and despite what pundits say, I think he's got a good chance to win. Anybody would be a fool to assume Hillary Clinton will beat him without question.

As for me, I can't quite make up my mind. Do I sit this election out since I know I can't morally cast a vote for either of the prime party candidates? Do I stay true to my principals and vote for a Libertarian candidate? Do I accept the supposed lesser of two evils and vote for Trump? Today, I've been saying I'll sit this election out before I vote for Trump but I really just don't know. And to make a final decision, how much of this nasty battle am I going to have to directly pay attention to? I don't know.. but I feel like this scenario was inevitable. Just didn't think it would be this election cycle.

So, what's this all about?

I'm one that's happy to be quiet, and yet, not that afraid of speaking my mind. In today's world, that can come back to haunt you. For that reason, I'm going to remain anonymous. It's not that I intend to speak controversially or that I want to be politically incorrect. But the internet is written in ink, and can be misconstrued. I don't always trust my written word, and I want to encourage healthy discussion about all kinds of topics. It's really just a place for me to safely speak about life and the things that interest me. I know when I get to politics, that can be very touchy and emotional for people and I want all, even those who disagree with me, to be able to speak freely, and I welcome anyone who wants to remain respectful in discourse to comment and engage. I will always do my best to do the same.

So, with that out of the way, welcome. I have no idea what kind of readership I'll get. I'm just going to put it out there and see what kind of response comes. It's my hope to leverage my life experience, and being stuck firmly between Generation X&Y, perhaps I'll be of interest to those demographics. I have no idea how often I'll update, but I welcome you to subscribe and engage when I do post.

Here we go....